


come over, and stay with me

by artazia



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Apocalypse, Angst, Apocalypse, Drama, End of the World, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Humor, M/M, Mutual Pining, Pining, UST, yeah the world is ending
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-23
Updated: 2020-09-19
Packaged: 2021-03-05 02:13:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 8
Words: 21,784
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25463011
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/artazia/pseuds/artazia
Summary: Kageyama and Hinata are fated to be in a world that ends in a few weeks, and they have not been on speaking terms for two years already. Would the end of the world be the reason that they reconcile?Hinata opened the door to Kageyama on his knees, gasping for air."I thought you said you can’t come over?”“I know you’d still be waiting for me,” Kageyama answered, looking up to meet his eyes.
Relationships: Hinata Shouyou/Kageyama Tobio
Comments: 13
Kudos: 62





	1. The Beginning of the End

> -928.5 mi 
> 
> ######  **Illinois / 06.07.2020**

'This is BBC News, signing off. Take care everyone, please stay home and cherish moments with your loved ones. We will be broadcasting our president's message next.'

The TV had been left on for ages, never turned off since the first earthquake that happened a week ago. Shoyou had been staring blankly at it for hours now, scared to believe the news. It had been a stressful month- he felt like the world was slowly crumbling, and today they learned that it was.

> ######  **Illinois / 06.01.2020**

'This is Shimizu Tanaka, reporting for BBC News.' Shoyou smiled fondly at the screen as he saw Shimizu reporting.

He did not pay attention to the news nowadays, apparently busy with college and its time-consuming load. He wouldn't have learned that Shimizu was reporting on live TV if it wasn't for Tanaka spamming his phone with messages of various things telling him to turn on his TV and watch his wife reporting live. It was funny reading those text messages aloud; he felt like a high school freshman again, witnessing Tanaka's crush over Shimizu.

He was shaken out of his reminiscence as a blaring piece of breaking news cut Shimizu's report. There had been fairly minor earthquakes happening all around the world, but everyone was told to stay alert and take every precaution that they could.

He was bound to the sofa as he listened to the news. He wasn't feeling any earthquakes so far, so he took a quick breath of relief.

Maybe it wasn’t bound to happen here in Illinois. He plopped down on his sofa and began scrolling through his phone. Barely processing the soft shakes at first, he only felt the earthquakes as the lamp behind him tumbled down with a crash. Blaring car alarms and barking dogs from outside woke him up. It made him alert, blood full of adrenaline- something that he hasn’t felt in a long time. He jumped to his feet and knelt, feeling the fast tremble of everything around him. 

His thoughts drifted to his family: was Natsu okay? He quickly looked around him and saw how every frame and knick-knack he had on top of every furniture had now fallen. The sound of breaking glass deafened him as the lights in his kitchen shattered and scattered pieces everywhere. 

Shoyou covered his head, arms covering his ears. He was cowering in fear for his life when his shelf happened to fall on top of the sofa, multiple books and frames crashing down and almost hitting him. A hardbound book hit him and he shook his head to quell the dizziness coming up in him. 

One look forward, and he saw his high school yearbook on the floor, spilling out pictures he forgot to slip in between the pages. He snatched the heap up and clutched it to his chest. Slowly displacing disarrayed items that fell, he moved from the sofa to the little slanted shelter that the shelf provided him. He remembered the things that his mom told him- to hide under hard surfaces- and he sobbed softly. The thought of his mom and his sister cowering under a table hit his chest hard. He held his phone in his trembling hand and looked at it. 

Opening his phone, he hit the emergency dials without a second thought, calling his mom’s phone, Natsu’s… and forgetting Tobio’s. 

> +928.5 mi
> 
> ######  **New York / 06.07.2020**

'This is BBC News, signing off. Take care everyone, please stay home and cherish moments with your loved ones. We will be broadcasting our president's message next.' 

Kageyama was in the car, stuck in traffic, when the radio news told him how the world would perish. He chuckled darkly at his luck; he couldn’t even believe what was happening to him as is.

“Stuck in traffic while the world is ending, how immensely great this is,” he mumbled to himself. He had done every single thing he could think of to tie loose ends. Now, driving until he finds a place where he can see everything from atop, he was in no hurry to go anywhere.

It has been exactly a week since the first earthquake- since the last call with Hinata. Strangely enough, it also happened during traffic. 

> ######  **New York / 06.01.2020**

New York has always been loud, day in and day out. He stepped out of his blanket sleepily and slipped on his soft bunny slippers. Here, he didn’t need an alarm clock since the noisy buzz of every day kept him on his toes all the freaking time. 

He grumbled as he shuffled across the room to his stove and cracked a few eggs for breakfast. On the kitchen wall was a digital clock that Daichi gave him- digital, because Daichi realized that Kageyama didn’t even have the patience to comprehend an analog one. Daichi was right, of course, because when the clock read 10:44 AM Kageyama bolted out of the kitchen, forgetting the eggs that he set down on the table. 

He quickly got ready because he PRACTICALLY forgot about a summer job interview that he was supposed to have at noon. Hopping into his car, he cursed himself as he fumbled with his keys. 

Stuck in traffic, he switched through different radio stations, hoping to find either a good song or some news. He knew not to blast his car’s horn or get angry at Monday traffic. He had seen enough road rage to not be part of it anymore. Blasting through some music he found at the next station, he didn’t notice the people around him panicking with the current earthquake. 

He was on his own, singing out of tune to a song that he knew since he was a teenager. Something pulled at his chest when he remembered singing to this song after training back in high school. His whole body shook subtly, both from his singing and with the earthquake, although he didn't know of the latter.

He leaned his elbow against the side of his car and his head on the glass as the song ended. He felt the tremor of the earthquake as soon as he saw people outside running and covering their heads. Adrenaline peaking in his blood, he began to switch through the channels and search for news. His futile attempt to inform himself halted when his phone rang. 

He fished it out of his pocket only to abruptly let it go like he was burnt when he read the contact name. 

‘Hinata Shoyou’ 

With the thought of the earthquake gone, he quickly searched for his phone that fell underneath the passenger’s seat. His hand trembled, not knowing if it was because of the quivering of the car or his own body. His finger mindlessly hovered over the answer button, and he clicked it with his heart trembling.

“Mom, are you okay?” It was Hinata’s voice. Kageyama did not know how to react. 

Hinata was rambling on and Kageyama did not understand a single thing as he just listened in on him. It felt atrocious listening in, especially when the other one thought it was his mom that he was calling, but Kageyama did not have the heart to tell him. 

“..Hinata?” he finally mumbled. The other end of the line grew silent, and the call dropped. 

He felt the quiet shudder of the world go as still as his heart. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Thanks for reading! 
> 
> This is edited by FrostyMochi, a real angel.


	2. An Unexpected Call

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An _unexpected_ call from both ends.

> ######  **Miyagi Prefecture / 2016**

"Kageyama, look!" Hinata was jumping almost a feet into the sky as he ran-jumped towards him. He had been waiting for a few minutes for Hinata, right at the corner, where they both met every morning.

He huffed in acknowledgment of Hinata's figure next to him, and looked sideways at him in response to his yelling. He trudged on, frustrated at being late, and quickened his pace.

"I got into the university in Illinois that I was applying for," Hinata started, taking quick breaths as he matched Kageyama's quickened pace. 

Illinois? Right, he did mention that some time ago.. but that meant that he'd leave for the other side of the world... he wouldn’t, right? 

"- the course I applied for was sports-related, and the school asked me if I would like a scholarship if I played for them as well. Can you believe that?" Hinata was still rambling on about the university that he chose and Kageyama couldn't think straight. A tight feeling clutched his chest as he looked at Hinata in his peripherals. 

He did have a few scholarship offers in the States... but Illinois.. he would have to check the mail again. Maybe there's something close enough… 

"Baka-geyama! What are you on about? Are you not happy for me? Sheesh," Hinata puffed out, angrily stomping towards the gym. The others were probably there by now, seeing as they were late. 

Kageyama did not have the chance to answer him and just watched his retreating back enter the noise-filled gymnasium.

> +903.2 mi 
> 
> ######  **New Jersey / 06.07.2020**

Kageyama remembered that Hinata was the reason why he was in New York, studying. They left Japan to pursue a degree- something that he didn't think of, in all honesty. 

And yet here he was, halfway across the world from his home, and he was missing someone who was supposed to be with him right now. Was he supposed to miss him? Could he? He decided that his thoughts could be as selfish and guiltless as he liked. 

Driving through New Jersey to a mountain track that he found out a few years ago, he ran his hand through his hair in irritation. Hinata had been on his mind since that day when he called. He had been careful not to think about him ever since what happened between them. He already learned how to say his name without it ripping his whole heart out, but that didn’t mean that his heart would not beat the hell out of its cage whenever he remembered Hinata’s face. 

He could imagine the way Hinata would have looked- scared and alert- when the earthquake happened, the way his face would have made Kageyama want to protect him from everything. His voice had been constantly present in his dreams, and he missed the way his voice would say his name- hell, he even missed the times when Hinata was yelling at him. 

Hinata was the only thing left for him to tie off. He had been on the phone relentlessly with his family, but there were no flights and he was stuck in his car. He had done everything he could think of, even calling a few of his old middle school friends. He had said sorry to almost everyone he might have grumbled some grievances upon: even Coach Ukai laughed at him when he called. 

He had been resisting to call Hinata ever since. His phone was left unattended in the passenger seat, displaying Hinata’s contact. One call, just one call. Maybe put a closure between them, and he could live it off and call it over. He stopped his car on the side of the now-empty road. 

Back then, this was surely a busy one, never running out of cars. But now, he guessed that everyone was in their homes and spending the last of their days with their loved ones. He would give anything to do just that. 

Kageyama picked up his phone and hovered his finger over the call button. He took a sigh and closed the app, quietly looking at his wallpaper. It was of Hinata’s back silhouette, taken from when they last spent a weekend together. The end of the world was getting to him, making him want to call and just say everything that he wanted to say to the stupid, bright sunshine who he just couldn’t forget. 

> -928.5 mi 
> 
> ######  **Illinois / 06.07.2020**

Hinata had been pacing the length of the living room for a few minutes now, phone in his hand. On the screen was Kageyama’s contact, which also read ‘recently called’, much to his annoyance. 

“Should I? Should I not? God, when was I ever this nervous?” He jumped up and down to ease his nerves, and with it, he accidentally clicked the call button. 

“Shit, shit, shit,” Hinata muttered, as he fumbled with the phone, causing it to fall out from his grasp. It slid beneath the sofa and he bent down to reach it, itching to click the end button. 

“Don’t answer, don’t answer, idiot,” Hinata whispered to himself as he tried to get the phone. His fingers slipped on its edge, which caused it to move further away from him. 

A groan escaped his lips and he ran to get something longer than his arms. A quick grab of a broken lamp stand behind him enabled him to get the phone, but just as he held it, a voice answered. 

“Hinata, are you there?” Kageyama called out before he could even click the end button. It took Hinata a few moments to collect himself and sit on the windowsill in his apartment. 

“Yeah, I’m here,” Hinata said in a small voice. He didn’t know what to say now, all the words he tried to practice telling Kageyama gone from his mind. 

There was silence on the other side of the line, although he could hear deep sighs and the wisp of the wind. 

“Look, I-”

“Hinata, listen-” they started at the same time, and Hinata heard a soft chuckle escape from Kageyama that made his cheeks feel warm. 

“You can go first,” Kageyama offered. Hinata swallowed something brewing in his chest. 

“Uh, look, Kageyama, I didn’t mean to call you now, nor a week ago,” Hinata started, his other hand fumbling with his shirt. 

Hinata heard a little mutter from Kageyama. “Oh, I’m sorry, I’ll end it now.”

“No!” he called out, then saying, “Sorry, I didn’t mean it that way, but now that we’re here, uh-” 

Hinata couldn’t assemble the thing that he knew his whole being wanted to say at the moment, and he fumbled for the right words to say. 

“Look, this-” Hinata managed to say. 

“What’s bothering you?” Kageyama asked in a quiet voice. Hinata inhaled deeply. 

“Can-you-come-over-tonight-if-you-don’t-have-anything-important-to-do,” he said in one quick breath. 

“What?” Kageyama said, sounding confused.

“I said,” Hinata took another deep breath and continued deliberately, “can you come over.” It sounded like both a statement and a question; he closed his eyes, waiting for the answer. The next few words were stuck in his throat: “and stay with me?”

There were huffs of quick breaths on the other side of the line, but no words came. 

“Wait for me,” Kageyama answered, sounding like he just ran a marathon. The call ended after that. Hinata lay on the floor, phone on his chest and not believing what just happened. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Again, this chapter is edited by FrostyMochi. :)


	3. A Reminiscence of Sorts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A reminiscence of sorts.

> +903 mi 
> 
> ######  **New Jersey / 06.07.2020**

Kageyama put his right arm across his eyes and took another deep breath. His whole face scarlet, he thought about how those few moments when he did not answer Hinata was not him thinking about what to say. 

It was him trying to ease his mind from the urge to just run and be there right at that moment. And it was also because he wanted to combust right then and there when the words left Hinata's lips. 

"Of course I'd come over, dumbass," Kageyama said to pacify himself, straightening his back and starting the car. 

He hooked his hand to the back of the passenger seat, looking behind as he reversed the car. Laughing at himself, he figured that he didn't need to look back since there were no cars. 

Probably just muscle memory, and out of habit, just like how he's drawn to Hinata, like a moth to a flame. He realized that he didn't even ask for Hinata's address- he knew himself well enough to never forget the location even if he wanted to. 

With his car back on the road home, the mountain track was forgotten; Kageyama quietly thought about how many hours he'd have to drive to get there by tonight. 

> +928.5 mi
> 
> ######  **New York / 06.07.2020**

Pulling up in front of his flat, he whisked out his keys from his pocket and opened the door. He didn’t think that he’d open it again; he had already said his goodbyes to everything here, only bringing some essentials with him. He had vowed to himself that a certain box would never see the light of day again, but he guessed that the end to everything was the excuse that he needed. 

Quickly dashing to his closet, he reached up to get a dusty box labeled **do not open**. Inside were a volleyball signed by the Small Giant with the words ‘be the best’, a silver ring, and a few dozen letters scattered around the bottom of the box. 

Holding it in his hands, he sat in his now clean room, flipping through the letters and mails inside: some unreadable, some poorly written by an enraged teenager, a few from his college, and others being acceptance letters from different schools. It reminded him of how he ripped open these letters from way back, checking on the Internet where on Earth the schools were located. 

> ######  **Miyagi Prefecture / 2016**

Kageyama furiously ripped the envelopes out of all the mails that he got from different universities. The house was full of Kageyama’s frustrated groans as he figured out that most were in a different place or country from where he wanted it to be. Kageyama’s mother, cooking in the kitchen, flinched every time she heard another howl or wail- she didn’t even know which. 

Up in his room, Kageyama threw away another letter, frustration growing as he ripped open the next one. He was on the floor, and around him were discarded papers that didn’t fit in his well-organized room. 

“If this is another one, I swear,” he muttered to himself angrily, cursing in his mind. He opened the letter aggressively and typed it into the browser, only to read the opposite of what he wanted. 

“Damn it, is that all the mail? I must have missed a few of them- there’s no way I have no letter from that stupid university,” Kageyama grumbled to himself as he stood up to look for more. 

A soft knock made him look up from his scavenger hunt in his bag as his mother opened the door herself, not waiting for his signal. 

“Mom, I told you, I’d shout ‘okay’ if I-” Kageyama groaned and frowned at his mother as she cut him off from what he was saying. 

“Yeah, I know, I guess I’ll make myself leave and ignore this contact from New York, then,” his mother said in a sing-song voice. Hands reaching for the doorknob and slowly closing around it, she smiled to herself as she waited for her son’s answer. 

“New York? Mom, what, wait- what was it? You can come in now, okay, OKAY,” Kageyama said, emphasizing the signal that they agreed upon as he scrambled up to close the door and stop his mom from leaving. 

His mom gave out a soft laugh and nodded, putting down the tray with a glass of milk on top of his desk. She then pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to Kageyama, saying, “So, here’s the contact. You should email something to this address saying that you agree to his terms.” 

“What terms?” Kageyama asked, getting the piece of paper from his mom and looking at her questioningly. 

“You’ve been looking for a university in the States, right?” His mom asked, raising her eyebrow and crossing her arms. 

“Yeah, but how did you know? I didn’t-” Kageyama started, blushing faintly and fumbling with the paper, looking down. 

“Yeah, I know, Shoyou’s mom had been calling me, asking if you may have thought about colleges in the States so that Shoyou can have company there. So I asked a few of my colleagues and came up with that,” she gestured to the paper that Kageyama was holding tightly. 

“What’s the catch?” Kageyama asked, a sinking feeling in his stomach, preparing to hear the worst. 

“Not much, but you have to study Sports Coaching and coach the university’s volleyball team after you graduate,” his mom said matter-of-factly. 

“Alright,” Kageyama agreed. He turned his back and began to type in the address from the paper. 

This was the first time Kageyama said yes to anything that fast, his mother observed. She shrugged her shoulders and opened the door quietly. 

“Thanks, mom,” Kageyama said softly before his mom left. 

“Are you sure you’re not continuing volleyball here?” his mother asked, leaning on the doorframe. 

“I’m still going to play there, mom. Don’t worry,” Kageyama offered. 

“No, I’m not worrying, dear, I just want to make sure you’re happy, alright?” She walked towards him and ruffled his hair as she kissed him on the top of his head. 

Kageyama leaned in gratefully and quickly hugged his mom before going back to what he was doing as affection burned his insides. 

His mom laughed at that. “Drink the milk I left for you, okay? Bring it back down later,” she said, and left him alone in his room as the door closed behind her. 

> -928.5 mi
> 
> ######  **Illinois / 06.07.2020**

Hinata needed fresh air after that conversation. With the temperature acting up every single moment of the day, Hinata dressed in a shirt and grabbed a jacket just in case. 

He stuffed his phone, wallet, and keys into his pockets. As he ran down the stairs of his apartment building, he noticed things that he had never paid attention to on a daily basis- how the building he spent years in had always been full of warmth, and how everyone greeted one another and looked out for each other. He passed by a big tree that several teenagers often took breaks under, snickering with each other and showing funny videos one after another. 

He passed by the compound’s playground next- it was once full of kids playing tag, along with a few mothers who yelled when their child fell too hard. Kids ran in circles within the whole compound, racing one another. The two kids who he managed to become familiar with when they raced by him one morning reminded him of someone else; he chuckled to himself as he remembered how he would race Kageyama everywhere, just like them. 

He sat on the sad-looking swing, feet slowly swinging back and forth as the wind picked up his hair. His mind drifted towards the memory of the day that they arrived, when Kageyama had pulled his collar as he almost crashed into a very tall person. Man, everyone was taller than he was here.

> ######  **New York / 2017**

“Thank God we're here. I thought I'd throw up in the train," Hinata remarked, stretching obnoxiously next to Kageyama and pushing him in the process. 

"Yah! Hinata, dumbass," Kageyama huffed and pushed him back after fixing the bag across his back. Kageyama looked around before turning his gaze back to his phone, trying to figure out where the hell they were. 

Hinata chewed the insides of his cheeks as he looked around, curious about everything in this busy city. Kageyama figured out that he had wandered off again and frustratedly knocked on the back of his head. 

“Jeez, fine, fine.” Hinata rubbed the back of his head and proceeded to annoy the shit out of Kageyama: he held on to Kageyama’s shoulders and used it to jump higher, much to the other’s irritation. 

“Annoyance~ annoyance,” Hinata sang in a sing-song voice, “annoying, baka~geyama~”, also ruffling Kageyama’s hair at the end. 

“Stop it, idiot, I’m trying to figure out where we need to go. Did you see this building anywhere?” Kageyama pulled Hinata down and showed him a picture on his phone. 

“Yeah, duh, that was where I was going before you yanked me here,” Hinata huffed but took the lead, snatching Kageyama’s phone with his luggage behind him. 

Kageyama clicked his tongue and followed along, having a hard time pulling all the leftover bags that Hinata happened to leave him with. 

After turning in the wrong direction twice and exchanging multiple punches in both directions, they finally turned a corner and arrived in front of Kageyama’s flat. 

“Well if you didn’t get lost after like every turn, we would have been here 30 minutes earlier,” Kageyama huffed, tired from heaving all the heavy bags around. 

Hinata gave him a peace sign and sheepish grin as he picked up the bags that Kageyama left on the ground in frustration. 

“Kageyama!” Hinata shouted from the laundry area. Kageyama ran to him from across the flat, frowning to the noise. 

“What?” Kageyama snarled at him as he neared the laundry area. He stopped in his tracks as he saw Hinata pulling out the clothes from the washing machine. Hinata was looking at the clothes incredulously, which was somehow a heap of varying shades of pink. 

His frown turned into a look of shame when he saw what he had done. Hinata looked at him and tried putting on a furious face at first- he failed, doubling over in laughter. 

Kageyama was mortified: almost all of their clothes were mostly light-colored, and they didn’t bother to separate all the other colors. He remembered just tossing all of their clothes in there after 2 weeks of their stay. 

“I- I don’t have an item of red clothing on me,” Kageyama stuttered, still ashamed and trying to figure out how to get out of the situation. Hinata snickered at him and raised his eyebrows, pulling from the washing machine a red undergarment. 

“Hm, I guess we have some other roommate here, named...” Hinata teased, holding it out and reading the writing written on the back of it. 

Kageyama’s face burned as scarlet as the boxers that Hinata was holding. He snatched it from his hands and began to run away. Hinata quickly caught up with him, singing, “Tobi-chan~ Tobi, Tobi~” 

Kageyama locked himself in his room, red as a cherry and clutching the dreaded thing. He put it in the back of his drawer, cursing at how the hell his mom got it inside his luggage. 

Hinata was still throwing teases at him from the other side of the door.“Kageyama, don’t worry, they say red is a very lucky color,” he said, and ended up laughing again as he remembered the look on Kageyama’s face. 

“Tobi-chan, come out now,” Hinata said, knocking at his door and still snickering, “I guess all of our clothes have some luck now.” He giggled at his jokes. 

“Oh, oh, here’s a good one, my mom said that red is the color for you to have good luck in love-” Hinata was cut off by the opening of the door, and Kageyama was giving him a death stare. 

“H-hey, okay, okay, I’ll stop, ” Hinata stuttered back, cowering on the floor as Kageyama towered over him, looking like he could kill with his gaze. 

“Not one word, dumbass, ” Kageyama said and turned around. Before Kageyama entered his room, Hinata swore he saw his nape and ears burning red. Hinata doubled over again as the click of Kageyama’s door lock reached his ears. In the room, he could hear the loud music, drowning out Hinata’s horrible endless laughter. 

He guessed that the music was not enough when he heard Kageyama shout, “Shut up, Hinata!” from his room, which then resulted in another round of Hinata’s mockery and laughter, much to Kageyama’s annoyance. 

Kageyama woke up with a frown as he smelled something wrong. First, he smelled his shirt, and then around his room, which did not reek of some burning-like smell. Burning smell? 

Kageyama wiped his eyes and ran towards the kitchen, and he realized that the smell was coming from there. There Hinata was, once again, in the middle of something dreadful. 

“What the hell are you doing?” Kageyama asked in a very, very dark tone. 

Before Hinata could explain, the smoke alarm broke out as dark billowing smoke came out of the oven and the charcoal-like thing in the pan. Kageyama got the first thing he saw next to him, a frying pan, and began to chase Hinata around the kitchen after the other closed the stove. 

Next, there was rain. 

“Rain?” Hinata stopped in his tracks, and Kageyama bumped into him, not seeing him because of all the smoke. 

“How is it going to rain inside, dumbass, ” Kageyama retorted, but he felt the drops all at once. 

“WHAT THE HELL?” Kageyama shouted as the continuous pour of water and the smoke confused them both. 

“Hinata, where are you?” Kageyama said, blindly moving his arms to find the nuisance of a roommate. 

He stumbled upon him, a crouching heap on the floor, feeling for the floor. “Tss, come on, idiot,” Kageyama huffed, and pulled Hinata up. 

“Sorry,” Hinata mumbled, clutching the back of Kageyama’s shirt. The other clicked his tongue and said nothing. 

They found the exit of the kitchen, and they both sighed in relief. A sudden, aggressive knocking immediately filled the silence in the air. The two exchanged panicked glances before opening the door. 

“Is there a fire?” asked the admin of the building, looking sternly at the two. Hinata was hiding behind Kageyama, looking like a guilty puppy. 

“Hinata, you should go inside, I’ll handle this,” Kageyama said as he looked back and closed the door. 

Hinata could just hear some parts of the quiet conversation as he sat on the couch. He tried his hardest to hear everything, to no avail. He leaned his head on the side of the couch and felt sleep slowly creeping in. 

He woke up an hour later with Kageyama on the other side of the sofa, flipping through the channels. 

“What happened?” Hinata asked as he crossed his legs and faced Kageyama. The other had no response and continued with what he was doing. 

“Sorry,” Hinata said softly, looking down in his hands. He felt Kageyama’s glance for a moment, but when he looked up, he was paying no mind. 

“Move over to the other side,” Kageyama said, putting the remote down on the table. Hinata glumly did what he was told, pouting in the process. 

What shocked him was when Kageyama laid his head on his lap and covered his eyes with his arms, saying, “My head hurts, I’m going to sleep. Don’t move a muscle, or else.” Hinata stiffened at that, careful not to move. 

A few moments later, he heard soft steady breaths from Kageyama. He carefully put down Kageyama’s arms and tucked it neatly on his torso, brushing away stray hair from the other’s face softly. He marveled at his pale skin and the softness of his hair in his lap. He inched his hand to the other’s hair, trembling at the softest touch. 

Kageyama gritted his teeth in his sleep, and it took Hinata everything to stop giggling.

“What the hell are you dreaming about?” Hinata muttered. His left hand found its way through Kageyama’s luscious dark hair, the entire opposite of his. He caressed it, lost in a trance, but still careful not to wake the other. 

He stared as Kageyama woke up from his sleep, slowly rubbing his eyes. “What time is it?” he mumbled. Hinata looked up at the clock. 

“9:42 PM.” 

“What?!” Kageyama shouted, startled, and immediately sat up. “Why didn’t you wake me up?” he followed. 

“What? You told me not to move, so I didn’t!” Hinata put up both of his hands in surrender. Kageyama stiffened in response, silent for a moment. 

“Idiot.” Hinata only looked confused as Kageyama stood up and walked to his room. He came out after a moment with his coat on. 

“Get dressed, let’s eat outside,” Kageyama huffed, turning his back to Hinata as he felt that his blush was still not cooperating with him. His heart was still beating as fast as when he woke up on Hinata’s lap. 

“Alright.” Hinata jumped up excitedly and quickly got ready. “Finally, I haven’t had lunch yet since what happened,” Hinata said, catching up with Kageyama. 

“Stupid,” Kageyama said, opening the door for both of them. 

“Hey, I was just doing what you wanted!” Hinata shouted back, closing the door behind him. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Once again, an angel named FrostyMochi edited this chapter for me. :)


	4. The Sun to My Moon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> every second is a moment making us closer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, first note, if you're reading this, thank you. Try to listen to Marry Me by Jason Derulo on repeat throughout reading for fluff feels. :) 
> 
> This chapter is edited by my lovely angel, FrostyMochi.

> -928.5 mi
> 
> ######  **Illinois / 06.07.2020**

Hinata couldn’t contain the excitement in his heart; he had been pacing all over the place after that call. 

“‘Can you come over,’ really? Shoyou, really? That’s the best you can do?” Hinata scolded himself, hitting his forehead with his palm. He rubbed his hands on his face as he thought about what he should do next. His insides felt like fire, like an ember alight with excitement and yearning. 

I should clean, yeah, I should, Kageyama hates unkempt places, Hinata thought and proceeded to clean the whole house. This was the first time he had cleaned the place after the news broke out, and it felt good to be doing something normal like nothing was wrong with the world. 

He swept the floor, rearranged the furniture, and did a complete deep cleaning. He fixed new sheets for his bed, changed the curtains, and wiped clean every nook and cranny of the whole monstrosity. He found the yearbook that he had held onto tucked in between the pillows of the sofa. He wiped it clean and arranged it neatly on the coffee table next to the couch. 

The balcony was clean and devoid of leaves, the bathroom was clean and sparkling, and he slipped at least thrice while cleaning the walls. Cobwebs gone, toiletries restocked, mirror cleaned, and he was done. 

He looked at his masterpiece after about 3 hours of work. He sighed in contentment and looked at his phone, checking if Kageyama had updated him on where he is now. 

Not one message though, Hinata observed. He sighed and put back all the cleaning supplies he used before taking a shower. 

“What am I missing?” Hinata asked himself, pacing through the whole apartment. 

“Oh, right, food!” Hinata exclaimed in delight and immediately started browsing his stocks. He gathered the ingredients that he thought he would need: cloves of garlic, onions, potatoes, and all the little spices that he had accumulated over time. 

Cooking had been his companion ever since he learned to live alone. He didn’t particularly like the way food was here, so he learned to adjust by learning how to cook the dishes he craved for. Since then, he had been cooking every single meal that he could. The first few tries were…. unthinkable. Some even inedible for him. He knew not to give up though, so he had tried and tried until he figured out what he did wrong. It was like a competition between him and the food, that is, how he could make it edible and stuff. 

Hinata realized that cooking made him feel at home and less lonely, although the loneliness usually set back in when, after all the trouble, he didn’t have anyone to share the meal with. He even got around to making different desserts when he couldn’t find any of them here in Illinois. 

So on day-offs or rest days, he cooked. Daichi even admired him for his newfound hobby and talent, claiming to teach him some time (which he did through a video call- it was a disaster). 

This time, Hinata cooked a feast. He thought about different dishes that he would like, and what Kageyama would like too. Anxiously looking at the clock, he knew that Kageyama could be anywhere by now, maybe near, maybe stuck in traffic- he didn’t know, but his heart knew that he’d be there standing in front of his door at any moment. 

He cooked a lot, and while he did, he thought about how to ask Kageyama to stay with him through to the end.

> ######  **Illinois / 2017**

When university started, they didn’t see each other anymore. Being 14 hours away was too much of an inconvenience for them when Hinata moved to his apartment in Illinois. They lasted for about 2 weeks without seeing each other, until Hinata called Kageyama and asked if he could come and play some games with him. Without another word, Kageyama agreed and drove. 

Fourteen hours and four minutes later, he was at Hinata’s door, sleepy, tired, but happy. Hinata arranged space for him to sleep in and some food. He was grateful for his effort, but he also did not want to push him too much. It was a feat to even have him to agree. As Sunday rolled by, a refreshed Kageyama would banter endlessly with Hinata, like a rejuvenated plant. 

Hinata would argue back without a second thought, worries far from his mind. Hinata toured Kageyama around Illinois, showing him places where he and his classmates would eat, and the arcade, which turned out to be the favorite of the two. He talked animatedly, recalling everything in the two weeks that they were parted. He knew that Kageyama liked something that he showed him if he sneaked in an insult or two about it, and he would grin wider and insult back. 

They would always end it short, eager for Kageyama to be on his way so that he wouldn’t drive late. Although their meetings were always so short, weekends way too limited, Hinata found himself waiting for Kageyama’s answer two weeks later to see if he could come by again. 

* * *

“One chocolate milkshake and the banana sundae mix, please,” Hinata ordered for Kageyama, who had just stared at him when he asked what his order would be. 

Kageyama then sat down in an empty seat near the front, right next to the glass wall. He propped his hand up and leaned his head on it, looking outside while waiting for Hinata. Hinata, back at the counter, looked at him, wondering what he was thinking about. 

“Hinata,” the waiter called out. He offered a tray with the food Hinata ordered. Hinata took it gratefully, muttering a “thanks”. 

He walked slowly, afraid to spill the food. Kageyama stood up and helped him to the table. 

“Are you clumsy now? What happened to your reflexes?” Kageyama huffed while helping him set it all down. 

“No, I just thought that it might slip because it's a banana,” Hinata muttered, brows furrowed together as he looked at the banana. 

“What?” Kageyama said, and after a short while of suppressing his laugh, he finally let it out. 

“What the fuck, how would a banana slip?” Kageyama asked, sipping his milkshake. 

Hinata glared at him, saying, “Remember the ones in the cartoons, where someone would slip on the banana and fall?” Hinata shook his head. 

“Idiot, that was the banana peel, not the actual banana!” Kageyama sputtered out, putting his head on his arm on the table and laughing, hiding his face. 

“Fine,” Hinata sighed and dug into the sundae, still wary of the mischievous banana. 

* * *

“Kageyama, look, there are people playing volleyball, let’s play with them,” Hinata urged Kageyama, pulling his arm towards the group. Kageyama just stood there while Hinata talked to them and introduced them both. 

Hinata knew that Kageyama caught the words ‘not talking,’ ‘looks grumpy all the time,’ ‘but he’s good,’ and Kageyama frowned more after every phrase, much to Hinata’s grins. 

“Okay, we’re in,” Hinata said, jumping up and down beside Kageyama. He rolled his eyes at the little shrimp and just assumed that he would receive the next ball. 

It was just a friendly game of soft receives and tosses, because there were no nets and the ball might end up flying into a window if they performed their best. Kageyama snorted when Hinata asked him to say it was a good game, but he did offer his thanks and a bow to the group when they left. 

Kageyama would have wanted to say that it was not what he used to do but it was fun, Hinata thought. It was just in his mind though, since Kageyama did not utter a single word on their walk back to his apartment. He still felt a warm aura surrounding the taller boy, and he was glad that they had a good time. 

* * *

On the weekends that Kageyama wasn’t there, they played online games, shouting over one another. They played a lot, allotting just enough time to get work done.. 

“Oi, Kageyama! WHY DID YOU KILL ME?” Hinata screamed over the call, his screen turning dark black as he died because of Kageyama.

“What? Isn’t that the purpose of the game?” Kageyama asked, still focused on it. 

“Yeah it is, but we’re freaking TEAMMATES,” Hinata screamed again. This time he heard soft cursing on the other line, startled by his shout. 

“Fine, I’M SORRY,” Kageyama screamed back, but Hinata only laughed at him. It was always very funny whenever Kageyama said sorry. 

Kageyama was focusing intently in the mole game, and Hinata knew it was the perfect time to kill him as he snickered to himself. 

“Oi, Hinata, DUMBASS,” Kageyama exclaimed from the other side of the line, to which he earned another round of laughter from Hinata. 

“I knew you were the impostor! Ugh.” Kageyama exhaled in frustration but continued to play as a ghost in the game, following Hinata closely and watching him kill the unsuspecting victims. 

“Hah, I WON!” Hinata boomed in their call, followed by a victorious laugh since he had just won three consecutive games. Hinata knew that Kageyama had his face scrunched up, trying to think of a game that he would not win. 

> +416 mi
> 
> ######  **Ohio / 06.07.2020**

On his ring finger was his own ring that complemented the one he meant to give to Hinata, which he so carelessly lost. Kageyama looked at it in longing as he drove down the road that he had been wanting to revisit for the past two years- the road leading to Hinata. 

In the back of his car was the ball that he had been meaning to give Hinata. Everything came back to Kageyama- all the past experiences driving down this road. Although he hated coffee, he would always drink two cups as he drove for fourteen hours to meet Hinata every other weekend. Traffic was one of the constant things on this road. 

This time, no traffic was on the road that he knows all too well. The only other time that he felt this good while driving here, despite how tired he was every weekend, was one that he would remember for a lifetime. 

> +206 mi
> 
> ######  **Indiana / June 2018**

Kageyama was nervous. It might be one of the few times in his life that he was, and in those instances, it was always because of, in response to, or fueled by Hinata. Driving on the road that he frequented every two weeks, with jitters in his teeth and mind in a knot, Kageyama floored the gas. He wanted to be there right now. 

Kageyama muttered the speech that he practiced for the whole month. He looked sideways at the bouquet in his passenger seat, laughing at the joke that he practiced for Hinata. Bouquet for a ‘boke’, Kageyama thought as he snickered. 

He had been planning this for a good while now; he also busted his ass off working part-time to afford everything he had gathered for today. With him were two rings, one for him and one for Hinata, a signed ball by the Small Giant that he got months ago but never had the courage to give Hinata, a bouquet, and, lastly, egg rolls that Kageyama cooked himself. 

Today, he vowed to confess to Hinata. It had been a clawing feeling in his heart for so long, and he always ignored the need to name it. He called it different names, ranging from hate to hunger to feeling tired. Now, he knew not to misdirect the way that his heart hammered in his chest whenever Hinata called him every Friday, conjuring up a different sort of invitation for him to play or come over. He would always heed his call anyway, but this time, it was his time to open up the conversation. 

It was his time to speak up and take a step forward. Of course, he wished that Hinata would not reject him directly, but he was always prepared for that to happen from the start. He could just throw it off as a joke and he knew that Hinata would not mind it anyway, thinking of it as a prank. That way, they could still save their friendship. 

Kageyama shook his head to shoo away the negativity and nerves before he could turn his car around. He muttered his speech again, looking in his rearview mirror sometimes to see how he looked. Suga had told him to put more emotions on his face whenever he said things that he wanted to say so that other people would not misinterpret his words. That’s what he precisely wanted to do. 

“Hinata, thanks for having me,” Kageyama started, eyes on the road. “I know we started off on the wrong foot, but that’s passed us now,” he continued with a gulp, still nervous even after repeating this in his head a million times. 

“Please bear with me as I pour my heart out to you, Hinata Shoyou. I’m in love with you, badly, and I can’t stop now. I wish you’d accept me,” Kageyama sputtered out. He heaved a sigh as he passed the welcoming sign of Illinois. 

He reasoned out to Hinata that he needed his favorite shirt that he forgot two weeks ago. Hinata had agreed- although it was already a tradition, they clung to any excuse that they had anyway. Hinata had also told him that he had something planned for them today too; apparently, there was this new carnival in town, and he wanted to take him there. Kageyama, being himself, didn’t like the idea of that, but Hinata had insisted that it was safe and fun. He agreed, of course. 

And now, he pulled up in front of Hinata’s apartment, hours early. He didn’t message Hinata that he was coming early, but assumed that it was fine since he was expected anyway. A little moment of surprise was what he wanted. 

With the words ‘I love you, Hinata Shoyou’ on his lips, he opened the apartment that he even had his own keys for. 


	5. A Ship That Burned

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> a ship that burned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I listened to Be Alright by Dean Lewis while writing this. I appreciate anyone who's reading this, and also your feedback. Thank you so much. :)

> -928.5 mi
> 
> ######  **Illinois / 2018**

No one was inside Hinata’s apartment, or so it seemed. Kageyama looked around cautiously, waiting for Hinata to bounce out screaming bloody surprise any moment. As he surveyed the place that he knew like the back of his palm, seeing Hinata seemed less likely to happen. 

There were no discarded plates in the sink, not even a remnant of last night’s dishes. No coffee or breakfasts, either. There were no distinct hints of Hinata scurrying about the whole place, even though he was such a whirlwind most of the time and usually Kageyama could easily tell where he went.

He surveyed the apartment, walking around and noticing how Hinata left Karasuno’s jacket neatly folded on top of his cabinet; beside it was a ball, something that they promised to write on after every graduation. He smiled to himself as he saw the clothes that he left behind to wear every time he’s here neatly folded below it. He went back to the living room and looked at a few books. Did Hinata read these? That was unlikely. He glanced at the frames adorning the table below the TV: it was of their visit to the Statue of Liberty, and next to it, their volleyball club’s pictures. 

“Maybe he went out for a run,” Kageyama reasoned and sat on the sofa. They played a lot here, right on this sofa, from board games and chess to card games and video games. He waited anxiously, hearing the soft tick of the clock as time passed by. His mind wandered off to one of the few nights that he had spent here, all cozied up right on this sofa. Soft murmurs had transpired between them, questions about the world, questions about themselves. 

He thumbed the silver ring on his finger, putting it on and removing it again, looking at the clock. Being impatient, he lost the internal battle within himself, and worry began to settle in his stomach. There was a soft thud when the silver ring fell from his lap as he quickly stood up and left the apartment. He never realized that it had left his finger. 

Phone in his hand, he texted Hinata without hinting where he was. 

‘Where are you? Might arrive anytime soon, just traffic,’ he texted Hinata. He looked anxiously at his phone and paced back and forth in front of his car. 

‘Hey, get some movies ready, okay?’ he sent again, frantically typing. He bit his lower lip and began to walk towards the apartment again when someone called out to him. 

“Kageyama?” He whipped around in search of a small orange-haired boy, but it was just the next-door neighbor. He smiled awkwardly and bowed his head in respect. 

“I think he’s not there,” she said. Kageyama looked at her, confused. 

“Oh, where could he possibly be?” he asked her back, politely. He walked closer to her porch, eager for more information. 

“I think he went out last night or even yesterday afternoon, and he hasn’t come back yet,” she continued, eyes on the crochet thing she was doing. “I thought he would come to see you, actually,” she added and looked in his eyes. 

“He didn’t, but thank you, ma’am, I’ll be on my way,” Kageyama said and walked back to his car. 

His face scrunched up both in worry and frustration at his now-lost friend, and he tossed the bouquet that he was holding onto like a lifeline into the back of the car. There was a rustle of fallen petals and leaves and the sound of a ball dropping, but Kageyama didn’t pay them any attention. He checked his phone and saw no new messages. He lingered for a few seconds at the wallpaper on his phone. It was of Hinata, sleeping soundly on the sofa, clutching a stuffed toy that Kageyama had won at the arcade. He should change this before he sees it, Kageyama thought. 

He shook his head and tried to call Hinata again, but it turned to voicemail every single time. His voice started to tremble, distress lining it as he told Hinata to pick up the call. He pulled up a map of Illinois on his phone and tried to pinpoint places that Hinata could be in. 

Maybe he’s with his friends, simply not noticing the time? Kageyama thought. Excuses and reasons flooded his mind as he drove into the town. He stopped by the arcade, all the fun times that they spent here pushed out by the single thought of finding Hinata. He could still remember the hours that they spent here, scrunched up in a photobooth: him cowering down and Hinata tiptoeing to reach the screen. A laugh would escape Hinata whenever he won yet another game, and Kageyama would frown to himself before forming a smile at the corner of his lips when Hinata wasn’t looking. 

A shout of ‘Yes!’ and ‘I win again!’ and a stream of curses reached Kageyama’s ears when he entered the crowded place. He scanned the rows of machines, hoping to find someone with unique orange hair and a small stature. He turned on his heels when he heard someone sounding like Hinata at the back, but when he reached it, it was just some scrawny kid winning a stuffed toy from the same machine that they tried to cheat on. 

He walked away with a huff, subtly shaking his head when the keeper asked him where his friend was. He entered his car again and passed another one of their places, a building by the apartment where the sun would shine the perfect shade of orange, just like Hinata’s hair. He went up there, screaming for Hinata’s name, and when he opened the rooftop’s door, he wished for Hinata and warmth, but all he felt was the cold, stabbing wind and emptiness. 

He closed the door angrily, the slam echoing through the hall. He held his phone as he ran down the flight of stairs, calling Hinata again and again. None of it connected- all of it went to voicemail. 

He unlocked his car once again and drove to Hinata’s favorite cafe. It was the first one that they went to, and he thought that maybe Hinata just needed a quick ice cream dessert. He opened the glass door aggressively, looking through the whole place, seeking for an orange miracle. Not even close. Memories of him and Hinata flowed in the front of his mind, clouding his vision with both worry and longing. 

He remembered his hushed conversations with Hinata when they made up stories about different people coming in and out of the cafe. ‘The one with the red hat has 12 cats,’ Hinata had whispered to Kageyama. It messed with Kageyama’s head how vividly he could remember Hinata’s voice- like it was happening and he was beside him all this time. 

He stormed out of the place, opening the car door dejectedly. He sat there, phone in his hand, a heavy feeling in his stomach. He called him for the millionth time that day, and his voice began to shake as worry sank deep into his bones. He kept himself from losing the grip of hope that he had- that was what Hinata was to him: hope. 

‘Please, call me back, I’m worried,’ he said in the latest voicemail. Then, he called yet again. And again. And when he was on the verge of giving up and calling the police, Hinata picked up. 

“WHAT? Kageyama, God, you left so many messages,” Hinata said, obviously annoyed. Kageyama’s face scrunched up in annoyance, but before he could say something back, Hinata continued, “Jeez, let me live my life in peace.”

Kageyama was taken aback by the sudden annoyance in Hinata’s voice, but he did not seem to mind it because he was overjoyed with the idea that he was safe. A smile played on his lips, and it got bigger when he saw Hinata walking around the corner, nearing the alley Kageyama was in. It quickly turned into a frown when he saw someone beside him, a man with lush blonde hair and a devious smirk, looking over at Hinata while he had his arm around him. Hinata was paying no mind, and he could hear him still ranting on their ongoing call. 

Hinata hung up the call, and Kageyama was tossed into reality yet again. He saw them from his car, talking amongst each other, and he inched his hand to call Hinata again. 

Hinata accepted the call, and before he could rant again, Kageyama simply said, “You forgot?” He saw Hinata stopping in his tracks and heard a soft gasp of surprise on the other line, but Hinata quickly masked it with a cough. Kageyama could see everything happening with his own two eyes. 

Kageyama looked sideways at the now crazy-looking egg rolls on his passenger seat, and then back at Hinata, who was looking at the tall man next to him. Something about the way Hinata looked at the man made him feel like his heart was being ripped away. 

Kageyama saw Hinata mouth something to him, inaudible on the call. Hinata sighed and said into the call, “You’re coming tonight, right? I’m here at my apartment.” Hinata feigned a soft yawn. “See you!” Then he ended the call, and after that, Hinata ran towards the direction of his apartment. 

Kageyama’s heart felt like it was breaking into tiny little pieces at what he saw, but he sighed and started the car, eager to let Hinata get there first, and he’d have to see what would happen then. 

Kageyama arrived yet again at Hinata’s apartment, but this time, the lights were on, and the sound of the television was blaring. It really did feel like he was here the whole day, but he knew deep within him that the reality was something that he couldn’t truly face yet. He knocked thrice, as always. 

He let himself in and saw Hinata sprawled on the sofa, breathing heavily, probably from running all the way, but he tried to mask it by laughing at the movie he was supposedly watching. 

“Hey, Kageyama,” Hinata acknowledged him breathlessly. He then covered it up again by trying to wolf down a handful of popcorn. “Yer wernt serm?” Hinata gestured over to the bowl of popcorn on his chest as he coughed.

Kageyama heaved a breath and said, “Where were you?” He tried to stay calm, but there was a storm brewing in his heart. He didn’t trust his heart right now, and he wanted his mind to take charge of what might happen tonight.

“Here, of course,” Hinata said a second after in a seemingly nonchalant way, but Kageyama knew Hinata inside out to know the difference. He sighed again, more frustration now showing on his face.

“I’ll try to ask again, where were you?” Kageyama asked for the second time. This time his tone was laced with annoyance and, although neither of them noticed it, jealousy.

“I told you, I was here,” Hinata emphasized, his voice a tad louder than usual with an edge to it. He stood up from the couch and regarded Kageyama with a frustrated stare. 

“No, you weren’t, I was here the whole morning,” Kageyama insisted, his voice becoming dangerously low. The way Hinata was lying straight to his face irked his whole being, and he could not stand it much longer.

He saw Hinata hesitating, for a moment, and he thought he would say the truth, but he replied, “No way, I’ve been here all day!” With a cheery voice, he continued, “Come on, sit here, I prepared movies just like you asked.”

That was the last straw for Kageyama, and though he tried to restrain himself from shouting, the words slipped out easily. “Why are you lying to me?” His words were not rooted in frustration or anger- it was betrayal, and Hinata knew it. 

“I’m not!” Hinata shouted, red from the neck up. He looked away, trying to keep his emotions in check, but Kageyama was having none of it. Kageyama did not notice how much Hinata hated himself for lying to him, his hands trembling, his nails cutting deep into his palm. 

“You are! And you look like you’re enjoying yourself by the looks of it!” Kageyama shouted, hurt dripping from his voice. Hinata slowly let himself slip, his heart opening to Kageyama again, but it was gone the moment he realized what he meant, and it dawned on him what was happening.

With a shocked and angry tone, he shouted back, “Were you FOLLOWING me? WHY?”

Kageyama’s head was swimming with dangerous thoughts, and he said, “‘Cause I was worried! I thought you were doing something stupid!”

“Stupid, huh? Well, if you knew all along, why were you questioning me like you’re my mom?!” Hinata exclaimed, exasperated by this whole argument. He was sick and tired of being tossed around like a fragile doll with Kageyama always patronizing him. 

“You know why?! Because I can’t believe you’re lying straight to my face! I thought we were way past this! AND I AM NOT YOUR MOM. I’m like this because you’re acting like a goddamn kid!” Kageyama gritted his teeth, bitterness stabbing his words. 

“What?! Woah, that one’s new,” Hinata said sarcastically. “Who do you think you are, huh? You’re just someone who doesn’t have friends, so you stick to me to have some sort of thing tying you to your sanity! You’re alone in life and I am your only choice. Am I fucking right?!”

Hinata’s words fucked with Kageyama’s head, his mind swirling at the way Hinata stabbed him with his thoughts. His eyes- Hinata could not stomach the look in Kageyama’s eyes- were glistening with tears, from frustration or sadness or betrayal; he didn’t know, but his heart broke. The friendship that they had protected all these years, the line connecting them, was slowly being tarnished by the sharp words that they were throwing at one another.

But this was a battle of pride and mind, hearts tucked neatly behind the walls being built around them as moments passed. 

Kageyama spoke again, after a moment, and his head felt lightheaded, maybe from the shock of how that outburst from Hinata hit him. “I didn’t know you felt that way.” His voice broke as he looked up at Hinata and met his eyes. He searched his eyes, looking for any explanation for what he had said, but Hinata was not looking at him anymore. 

“I’ll leave now, then,” Kageyama said, his hand trembling.

Kageyama closed his eyes when he heard Hinata, not backing down, yell again, “FINE! Stop calling me and get a life of your own! I’m sick and tired of you controlling me.”

Kageyama knew that this was the end, and his heart was lost in the depths of his mind and ego now. “For sure! It’s not like I depend on YOU! Stop texting me when you don’t know what the fuck to do because you’re so ignorant!” 

“You always cling to me like I’m under your responsibility, like I couldn’t handle myself, like I couldn’t even be your equal. I’m always, always, following behind you, reaching for you.” Hinata sobbed as his voice broke, but he was radiating with fury. 

“What? You want me to stop and hold your hand? Is that it? WELL, I can’t stop for you, Hinata, not when you keep on tugging at me for dear life!” Kageyama blurted, his anger breaking through his acquired calmness. “So, what if you just live your life and not run around chasing other people?!”

“I TOLD YOU, I don’t want you controlling my life anymore! You don’t have the authority to boss me around like some subject of yours, King!” Hinata’s voice was lined with knives, using the name that they both knew should never be used.

The insult was like a bucket of ice dumped on Kageyama’s head rather than a crown that the title carries. It was ice-cold, and then it was boiling, a fire lit in Kageyama’s heart, and it took every ounce of his being to not follow his heart and make up with Hinata. He couldn’t seem to shake the words that Hinata had said as he looped the argument over and over in his head.

He stormed out of the apartment, a loud sound surrounding his ears as he opened the door forcefully. He didn’t look anywhere but at his car; he knew that he would not go back to this place or look at it the same ever again.

Kageyama started the car and drove away. Hinata, on the other hand, refused to look behind him after his last words to Kageyama.

Tears escaped his eyes as he closed them, feeling the now empty room. He could hear his heart in his ears, like it was pushing its way to exchange places with his mind and take control for once. Hinata gulped, not wanting to let his heart race with what he was feeling right then.

Both of them were lost, their hearts shattered on the ground, and they never wanted to pick up the broken pieces ever again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can reach me at Twitter @nishinwafers, let's talk :)) Edited by an angel named FrostyMochi.


	6. An Extinguished Light

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'll love you until the sun dies.

> -928.5 mi
> 
> ######  **Illinois / 2018**

Hinata balled his palms into fists, trying to calm himself. He muttered curses under his breath, furious at what happened, at what he said. He knew that that moment was a moment of weakness, a hole in the armor that he had built alongside the walls and gates guarding their friendship. 

Hinata sat back down on his sofa, slouching, and put both of his palms to his face, trying to cover it. It slid upwards, and he gripped his hair tightly, frustrated at the sound of silence. Tears were still spilling from his eyes, and he broke out a cry, a yell- for what and why he didn’t know. 

His hands found the center table and he pushed everything off it, crying hysterically. An eerie laugh suddenly escaped him. “I’m so fucking messed up,” Hinata exclaimed as he clutched the corner of the table, sitting down on the cold floor. 

He leaned his head against the table, banging on it, and tears pooled on its surface. “I’m so stupid, he was right, I am acting like a goddamn kid.” He leaned against the seat of the sofa, staring at the ceiling. 

There was a soft glimmer at the side of his vision, and he turned his head towards it slowly, his vision blurry from all the tears in his eyes. He crawled towards it, his knees buckling at the effort, and reached for it. It was a silver ring, and he thumbed it with curiosity. The anger that he had felt before came back in a rush with the coldness of the metal. 

“Stupid Kageyama. I get tired and angry one time, and he leaves me. What a fucking idiot,” Hinata grumbled, holding the ring in his palm and balling it into a fist. He pushed against the floor to get up and wobbly walked towards the door, with the intent of throwing this ring, and every single one of Kageyama’s things, in the trash. 

He stormed into his room and emptied the first box he saw. A loud crash was heard when various things dropped from the box. Hinata paid it no mind and proceeded to put every single item that Kageyama owned or gave into the box. Posters and pictures on his wall were discarded alongside hoodies and shirts that Kageyama left all the time. 

Hinata walked briskly and ended up at the back of the apartment building. His hands inched over to the lighter and lit it up, the flame dancing in his eyes. When he pushed it merely inches into the box, the light of the flame danced on the reflection of a picture frame: it was of them, on the Statue of Liberty. Hinata had bribed Kageyama to do a peace sign with him, one of the few times that he had agreed to. Hinata had treasured the picture so much that he had copied it a million times and backed it up on his computer. 

He shut the lighter and it fell to the ground with a thud. He reached for the frame, turning it around and removing the picture. On the back of it was the date when it was taken and a note. 

‘2017 June, 

We went to the Statue of Liberty, and it was bigger than the Tokyo Sky Tree in the pictures but not in real life >:( But we took pictures standing like her, and here’s a picture of Kageyama with a peace sign. (bribed with strawberry milk, hehe)’

He opened his palm and looked at the ring, clutching it softly now. He sat on the ground, muttering empty apologies into the air. He looked at it closely, inspecting the soft swirls on the outside as the moonlight shone on every engraved curve. Some of the curves continued into nothing, some into a sudden straight edge, like it was missing something that it was meant to connect to. 

His eyes focused on one carved word on the inside of the ring. It spelled ‘For Shoyou’ in a soft cursive. 

He felt like the whole world just crashed onto his shoulders, but he tried to brave it as he thought about what the hell that meant. ‘For Shoyou’? What in the world was that supposed to mean? His vision focused on the ring, and a dreaded feeling from his gut told him that this was half of a whole. 

It was a wedding ring, or something of that sort. Tears clouded his vision, and he recalled the whole conversation. He realized why Kageyama sounded like he was betrayed, why it occurred to him in the middle of their argument that he was jealous. It was because of this piece of metal- the piece that tied him to the man who he desperately yearned for.

“I’m sorry, please, I didn’t mean it,” Hinata muttered. He sobbed quietly as he sat there, tucking his knees into his chest.

“I take it back, please, please, come back,” he mumbled into the silence. He finally stood up, breathing heavily, ready to suffer from the consequences of what happened. He slowly walked back to his apartment, clutching onto the box like it was the only lifeline that he had. 

He was startled when his neighbor approached him. “Oh, Hinata, where’s Kageyama? He left already?” the lady asked, and smiled at him. Hinata was not in the mood to answer, but he did it out of respect. 

“Yes, Ma’am, I think he was caught in an emergency,” Hinata answered curtly with a nod, turning to leave. 

“But he was there, all morning, and I told him that you weren’t inside,” the lady said, her tone slightly apologetic. She tilted her head to the side as a sign of goodbye and turned away.

Guilt crushed him from the inside, and he ran to his apartment, searching for his phone. There were a lot of missed calls, both from Kageyama earlier and Atsumu just then. 

‘He really was waiting all day,’ Hinata thought to himself. Guilt clawed at his skin, slowly consuming him as he texted Kageyama. ‘Please, come back, it’s late, it’s not safe to drive,’ he typed frantically, hoping that Kageyama received them. His legs shook involuntarily because of his nerves, and he bit his lip anxiously until he tasted a metallic taste soon after. 

He texted another message. ‘I’m sorry, Kageyama, I was stupid, please, I’m sorry,” in hope that Kageyama might forgive him. He also called, but it was all greeted by Kageyama’s voice in the voicemail, saying that he was busy at the moment in his usual low timbre. 

This was probably what Kageyama was feeling when he was gone and didn’t answer any of his calls. He was getting a taste of his own medicine, and it was bitter, too bitter. His heart told him to find him again, one more time, and he did. He ran outside, the rain pouring and his mind flying, reaching for Kageyama. 

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” Hinata breathed as he ran. He knew that he could never follow him at this rate, but at least he was doing something about it. He squatted in the middle of nowhere, rain drenching his clothes.

Softly, he whispered, “Kageyama, please.” 

> +206 mi
> 
> ######  **Indiana / 2018**

A dark aura surrounded Kageyama. He clutched the wheel tightly, the conversation replaying in his mind vividly. He closed his eyes for a moment, his thoughts a muddled mess. He was startled when a lone car passed him, and he swerved in the other direction in panic. He had thought that there were no more cars around, so he had put too much faith in closing his eyes. 

He parked his car on the side of the road, and for the first time since he got in, he took a deep breath, letting out the fire that burned within him. He recalled all the little things that happened, Hinata’s hesitations, his rage, and his eyes. Like a dream, the details started to fade away, and he tried to grasp onto it, eager to bring Hinata back. 

Hinata’s voice, full of fury and... sadness, echoed within him, continuously repeating in his mind like a broken track. Everything Hinata had said made sense, now that Kageyama was not suppressed by anything. He did consider Hinata as someone defenseless who needed guidance most of the time. 

He remembered the way that he would always check on Hinata and nag him like he wasn’t responsible enough on his own. He treated him like brittle glass, as if Hinata was going to break if he took his eyes off of him. In his mind, he really did think that he would. 

The demons in his mind urged him to go back, to feel Hinata’s heartbeat in his hand and the warmth on his fingertips. He wanted to ease Hinata’s worries away, mutter apologies and stare into his hypnotic eyes, orbs that always pulled him in like an endless chasm. He recalled the conversation and his crumpled fantasy, lost in the mess of sharp and stabbing pain. 

He leaned into the back of his car seat, wanting to let it go. Delusional thoughts of Hinata crying for him, begging to come home, creeped into his head, and he struggled to not let it get to him. Hinata would not be in his life anymore, that was for sure, but Kageyama would still knock on his door and ask him to take him back. Although his mind got a hold of him earlier on, his heart was utterly crestfallen about what happened. His heart struggled to be free, battling the cage that his mind had trapped it in. 

“I don’t wanna let go,” Kageyama muttered as he put his arms, followed by his head, on the steering wheel. He quietly sobbed as he leaned on the wheel, his memorized speech still fresh in his mind. 

He slammed his fist onto his dashboard, angry at himself, at what he did. Every moment started to replay backwards, every possibility of what could have happened if he didn’t lose himself. Would they have been better off now? All he could think about was the look on Hinata’s face as he wondered what he could do to ease the way his heart hurt.

“I’m sorry, Hinata, please, I’ll make it right,” Kageyama sobbed, his tears falling through his face. His tears twinkled bleakly under the moonlight- it felt like the moon was feeling sympathy for this broken man, whose heart was caught in a crossfire. 

Midnight was drawing nigh, and the moon was a shining, glowing blue- a complete contrast to Hinata’s hair color. 

He repeated his speech, looking at the sky, “Hinata, thanks for having me,” Kageyama started, eyes on the black calmness. Saying Hinata’s name was like a knife through his heart; his voice broke and he sobbed in his palms, but urged himself to continue. 

“I know we started on the wrong foot, but that’s passed us now,” he continued with a sob, his words soft as a whisper and anchoring to his heavy heart. 

“Please bear with me as I pour my heart out to you, Hinata Shoyou,” Kageyama wept, mirroring how his heart felt. 

“I’m in love with you, badly, and I can’t stop now, not ever,” he said, closing his eyes, a few tears escaping him as he struggled to breathe normally. 

‘I still wish you’d accept me.’ The words never left his lips, and he buried them in his mind, vowing that they would never surface again. 

His fingers instinctively reached out to touch the ring on his finger. He was devastated to find that it was gone. It felt hollow, a ghost of a feeling that it was there, but it wasn’t. He had lost the ring, just like how he had lost the chance to own up to his true feelings. 

> +928.5 mi
> 
> ######  **New York / December 2018**

Hinata was shivering when he left the train. He stretched his limbs, the small space inside the train too cramped for his jumpy self. He was lodged into that same seat for exactly 19 hours and 53 minutes; he had checked his ticket and counted, eager to get here since he got on. 

It had been six months since what happened, and everything was still ingrained in his mind like it just happened yesterday. His heart had been bruised, yet he was starting to heal, and he thought that maybe... Kageyama was too. That thinking had brought him here and made him move forward. 

Atsumu came to him a week after the argument, asking why he didn’t call back. He said sorry, but Atsumu knew something was off and called it a day without even going into the apartment. Since then, he had been isolating himself, feeling like he was suffering a sickness that he could never heal from. 

Every day after that became a countdown for Hinata; the days kept getting colder, longer, and darker. There was a noticeable change within him, and for a few months he was oblivious to the fact. But when the truth slapped him in the face, he realized that he knew it all along. 

Coldness crept into his heart, extinguishing the usual warmth and fire. They were replaced by a wisp of small flame, enough to keep him going. The flame was the hope of meeting Kageyama, to ask- no, beg- for forgiveness. He carried his feelings for too long; eager to finish university and start the Christmas break, he had been waiting for this moment. 

The day he was done at school, he packed his backpack and booked the next train to New York; although his meager savings could only buy him a small, cramped seat, it made him feel better that he was getting closer to Kageyama every passing second. 

Hinata was greeted by the snow-kissed pavement, and he tried to remember where Kageyama lived. It was unlikely that he moved, since Hinata finished his semester early and most of the universities were still ongoing with theirs. At first, he got lost a few times, but then he remembered the day that they first arrived and knew not to go in circles again. 

“Jeez, Hinata, can’t you remember anything at all?” Hinata said to himself, his teeth chattering as he tried to remember where he was going. Towering buildings surrounded him, the noise from the busy streets constantly fighting with the thoughts in his head. 

He rubbed his palms together and blew on them as he looked around for shelter, since it looked like the snow wasn’t stopping anytime soon. It just gets colder and colder, Hinata thought. 

He entered a small cafe in an alley. It felt homey, with warm yellow lights scattered above him. The place had mismatched chairs and tables, the lights varying from chandeliers to lamps. The utensils and plates also added to the effect, a constant mix and match. Hinata felt right at home. 

Hinata sat at a table facing the glass wall, which enabled him to look outside. He hoped that maybe he would see Kageyama passing by and be able to catch up to him. 

Hinata sipped his hot cocoa, blowing on it and cupping it with both of his hands. The cafe was packed even though it was small. It was probably because of the snow, since everyone who went inside was trembling and ordered something warm right away. 

He looked at a group of students in the nearby table. They looked stressed out, laptops out and bickering among themselves, but they looked like they enjoyed it anyway. 

‘We were like that back then,’ Hinata thought. His gaze lingering, he shook his head a little and looked on, looking at the busy people crossing the street. Everything here felt like it was a rush: people always had somewhere to be, decisions had to be quick, and second thoughts were out of the question. 

“Was Kageyama like this during the weekends?” he wondered. Everyone here had a serious face, like they meant business and could not be seen fooling around. He shuddered at the thought of that. 

He looked at each and every person passing by, and although some of them had their faces covered by scarves, he knew that he could probably recognize Kageyama from a mile away. 

Of course he could, because when he saw the mess of blueberry-colored hair crossing the street, he instantly knew that it was him. He almost fell out of his tall chair, even spilling the hot cocoa on his shirt as he jumped down from his seat. He’d try to remove the stain later, but right now his priority was something else. 

Kageyama’s back was facing him, and he walked too fast for Hinata. His eyes focused on him as he zig-zagged his way through the cramped cafe. 

He almost pushed over a table because he wasn’t looking, but a quick look back to Kageyama and he was gone. Hinata’s eyes widened, muttering fast apologies and immediately bursting through the door. The doorbells rang with the abrupt movement as he spun around and followed Kageyama through the crowd, inching to shout his name. 

“Excuse me,” he said, as he squished through busy-looking business men dressed in coats. “Coming through,” he repeated, as he used his height to get in between the tall people around him, looking for Kageyama. 

He ended up on the corner of a block. He looked around, searching for that boy. His eyes found his target, and he balled his fists, gathering his whole being for what might come next. 

He didn’t realize that his target would be surrounded though. 

Kageyama wasn’t alone as he had initially predicted. He was with a group of... friends? 

A pang of guilt and jealousy squared Hinata in the chest. Kageyama was surrounded by people, and he was… laughing with them. Hinata cocked his head to the side, curiosity written all over his face. 

Kageyama… socializing? It didn’t seem right- this didn’t come up in any of Hinata’s predictions. By then, Hinata was nothing like who he had been before, and here was Kageyama, looking like he was having the time of his life as the life of the party. It was like they exchanged souls.

Kageyama held a cup of… coffee, perhaps? And he was talking animatedly with the group, a smile on his face. It seemed unreal- hell, it even looked scary in Hinata’s perspective. 

Kageyama didn’t smile, much less laugh, Hinata thought. Well, not with him anyway. And there it was, the jealousy pooling in his stomach with the thought that Kageyama was sharing smiles with other people. 

He turned his back, and he covered his mouth with the back of his palm as tears pooled in his eyes. He tried to suppress the sob and the cry of his name on his lips. 

He was the reason Kageyama was like this. He looked well, and he seemed to adjust quite well. Hinata didn’t want to intervene and make a mess of things anymore. 

Hinata was shaken by the fact that while he was breaking down in his sleep, here was Kageyama, thriving. He was being held captive by the hole in his heart, and Kageyama had run with it. Kageyama had moved on, without him in his life, while he was stuck trying to pick himself up piece by piece. 

His thoughts drowned him, and on his way back, he knew that he was proud of how well Kageyama was doing. Long gone was the selfish King, yet Hinata was still haunted by his cape. 

Although he was hurt, his heart was filled with fondness and happiness that people were realizing how great Kageyama is. The times that he selfishly anchored Kageyama right next to him all the time had really come to an end. Maybe he needed a little more time, but even after that, he knew that he would love him until the sun dies. 

His love would be here and here to stay, and Hinata would still love him like he never knew the pain. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter down! Thank you for reading :) Edited by FrostyMochi. <3


	7. When Stars Align

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> If only they had more time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! A few more chapters to go. :) Special thanks to FrostyMochi for editing this chapter. <3

> +8.5 mi
> 
> ######  **Illinois / 06.07.2020**

Kageyama arrived at the welcome sign of Illinois exactly 7 minutes ago. Memories flashed in his head as he saw the sign from afar, and to be safe, he parked his car right in front of the sign. He had been staring at it since then, his mind filled with sadness. Seeing the sign had triggered his fight or flight, and .. he’d been thinking what to do. 

In a single moment, he tried to remember everything clearly. It had always just been him and Hinata, staying up all night and playing games and watching movies. But the memory was pulled down by the last look he had of Hinata on that fateful night. 

As he was driving closer and closer, that vision of Hinata became clearer, like he could reach and touch his face, wiping away the tears softly cascading down. 

His thumb reached to touch his ring finger, void of a ring. He recalled losing it some time after the fight, and it hurt to think that he couldn’t give it to Hinata then. 

‘It would have been a bittersweet ending,’ Kageyama thought. ‘A ring as I leave his life entirely.’

What the hell was he doing here in Illinois? He hit his head with his palm, annoyed with himself. He had vowed never to come here again, turning his back like they closed it off on a good note. Yet here he was, driving like crazy on a road that he would always have memorized at the back of his head. 

He’d rather die than have to cry in front of Shoyou, and he’d rather lie than tell him that he was still deeply and annoyingly in love with him. 

His phone had been ringing like crazy since he neared the border. Hinata called one after another, and he’s right over here, looking at the dreaded sign. He had looked over all the little scratches on it, trying to ignore his phone blinking endlessly. 

Finally, he reached for his phone and called Hinata instead. 

Hinata immediately answered the call, and with a single breath he asked, “Where are you right now? Are you near?” He sounded excited, and Kageyama’s heart sunk into the depths of his stomach at the sound of his voice. 

He waited for a few moments to collect himself before whispering, “Hinata, I can’t go.” He closed his eyes as he waited for Hinata to yell at him, call him a coward, an asshole, and get angry at him, but it didn’t come. 

In a soft voice, Hinata said, “Oh, that’s okay, alright.” He chuckled lightly, and continued, “Keep safe, Bakageyama.” 

Kageyama blinked at the phone as Hinata cut the call. His eyes were glued to the screen, and he only realized that he was crying when tears dropped on it. 

> -928.5 mi
> 
> ######  **Illinois / 06.07.2020**

Hinata sighed, sadness creeping into his heart but understanding ingrained in his mind. It didn’t matter now. They were long finished even though they were an unfinished chapter, a sentence dropped in the midline. 

He had eagerly picked up the pen, willing to continue this chapter once more, but maybe Kageyama had evolved past the need to finish it, simply moving on like it didn’t happen. 

Even though he had heard loud and clear Kageyama couldn’t go, he was still perched on his windowsill, waiting for a car to stop in front of his building. His heart would never get tired of waiting, waiting for his home. 

> +8.5 mi
> 
> ######  **Illinois / 06.07.2020**

What the fuck did he do again? Kageyama questioned himself. It’s the damn end of the world and he’s hindered by his ego and pride. Of course his fight or flight would act up, but his heart was damn sure he’d fly to get there now. 

His heart yearned for him, and he’s too close yet too damn far at the same time. He kick-started his car and stepped on the gas, head shaking at the dumbassery that he just pulled off.  
  
“I’m sorry, Hinata, I’m coming,” Kageyama said, with a small smile playing in his lips. He was done being somebody else: all he’s really here in this world for was to be someone to Hinata Shoyou. 

It didn’t matter that the sky would turn red, it didn’t matter that there were no roads ahead; as long as it was a path leading to his heart, he could change the world. He wanted to be there, he wanted Shoyou and bask in his light and warmth. He really needed somebody to call his own, and as long as the world’s spinning, he would yearn for him. 

He knew that Hinata would get scared when he’s alone, and he thought about it almost every day. Subconsciously, he had always promised himself that he would come back one day and reclaim the love that he lost. He’s not letting go now, not now, not when he’s the only thing holding him in this world. 

He floored the gas, eager to get there, because his heart knew that Hinata would still be waiting. 

‘That dumbass,’ Kageyama thought, the insult playful with no harshness. 

Every breath that he had taken up after that fight had led to this moment, the moment he would have the courage to walk up to his doors again. He had been holding on to the hope that Hinata would still forgive him, would still accept him. 

He thought that he could live without him, but every single day felt hollow, like a finger missing its ring, and he didn’t have a sun to circle around. He would always gravitate toward his sun, Hinata, and in his absence, Kageyama failed to find a replacement. 

He wanted to be the name Hinata would be calling every night, he wanted to be the one who held Hinata’s hand when he’s afraid, and he wanted Hinata to be the one with whom he watched the world end. 

The road leading to Hinata’s apartment complex was blocked by multiple cars discarded in the middle of the street, where a major earthquake had hit. He quickly got out of the car empty-handed, running in the same direction. 

His heart beated faster every second- the faster he ran, the closer Hinata felt. He did not want his love to fade away, he never wanted to forget the feeling he gets when Hinata smiles at him. He wanted to see it again, even just for one more time. 

His knees were giving out as he ran, but the single thought of Hinata waiting for him jolted his adrenaline and enabled him to get to the complex. With his heart in his throat, he ran up the stairs, his heart beating erratically. 

He reached the door in a few seconds, and he knocked thrice, as always. 

On the third knock, the door swung open. Hinata opened the door to Kageyama on his knees, gasping for air.

"I thought you said you can’t come over?”

“I know you’d still be waiting for me,” Kageyama answered, looking up to meet his eyes. Hinata pulled him up, his mind not processing that Kageyama was here, beside him. 

Hinata helped him get inside, shutting the door with a quick kick. Kageyama reached for the wall and steadied himself, gasping softly. Hinata stared at his own thumbs, looking everywhere except Kageyama. 

Kageyama sat down and removed his shoes, taking his precious time while doing so. Hinata heard his breaths slow down, and he anxiously tapped his fingers on his thigh, thinking of what to say.

He could feel the stare Kageyama gave him when he settled down, and it took every inch of Hinata’s courage to move. He thought of a way to formally invite him in, or have some excuse not to stand in front of the door all day. 

“I have some food prepared,” he mumbled, barely loud enough to even hear himself. 

“Aren’t you gonna invite me in?” Kageyama said as he tilted his head, a subtle tone of teasing laced in his voice. 

“I’m trying to!” Hinata growled, moving towards the kitchen before looking back at Kageyama annoyingly, who began following him. He stopped in his tracks for a moment when he saw a lazy smirk play on the other’s lips, and Kageyama also stopped walking. 

“What?” Kageyama said, raising his right eyebrow at him questioningly. 

“Nevermind, I just said there’s food,” Hinata grumbled, trying to hide the blush rising in his cheeks. He walked fast, disappearing inside the kitchen as Kageyama allowed himself a small chuckle. 

He’s so glad that he changed his mind, and he felt so giddy that he wanted to imitate the way Hinata would jump on the balls of his feet, but he hid it in the stoicness of his stance. He heard the sound of plates clashing against one another and Kageyama quickened his pace. 

He saw Hinata with one foot on top of the counter and another on a chair, reaching for the plates in the uppermost cabinet. Kageyama reached for the plates, and helped him gather them up. Hinata blushed when he felt Kageyama’s touch as he took the plates away from him. He shied away from the touch, his hands both burning and frozen cold. 

“What’s with all the plates…” Kageyama asked, looking around, “...and all the food?” He looked at Hinata, who was trying to fix the table and fit in places for them to eat. 

“I.. kinda got over-excited and cooked… a lot,” Hinata confessed, turning around to work on something that didn’t need fixing. He set the table for the both of them, quickly running through his utensils to find another set for Kageyama. Meanwhile, Kageyama was marveling at the sheer amount of food that Hinata had conjured up, and how delicious they all looked.

Hinata scratched his head in annoyance when he didn’t find any utensils for the both of them. He turned around when he heard a sound of a question from Kageyama, who was looking at him while he was searching around.   
  
“I kind of only have one pair..?” Hinata said out loud, both a statement and a question. Kageyama barked out a single laugh at the absurdity. He stood up from the seat he claimed at the head of the table, and started searching for some himself. When Hinata realized that Kageyama was searching with him, he searched vigorously too, the feeling of competing with Kageyama over petty things coming back to him. 

Kageyama smiled to himself when he noticed the quickened movements of Hinata’s frantic search. He had already found the extra utensils that Hinata probably never used, but he wanted to see Hinata’s flustered face when he got close to him. 

“Hmm, I think it’s here,” Kageyama muttered softly, and Hinata clambered up the countertop in record time, trying to get it himself. Hinata pushed himself in between Kageyama’s arms that held the cabinet doors open. 

Hinata’s scent filled him as he tried to worm his little hands in between the small crevices inside the drawer. It was Kageyama’s turn to turn beet red and he closed it a little too fast when Hinata raised the utensils that he finally retrieved. 

“Got ‘em!” He exclaimed and turned around, oblivious to the fact that Kageyama was still standing behind him, their faces inches apart. Hinata felt Kageyama’s breath sucked in, and he felt himself imitate the act. They stared at each other, a connection of yearning itching to come back. 

Kageyama was the first to look away, and he held out a hand to help Hinata climb back down. Hinata chose to come down without his help though, and Kageyama tucked his hand back and sat back down. 

Hinata washed and dried the utensils, setting them on Kageyama’s plate. He sat on the other chair, opposite to Kageyama. He said his thanks and began to dig in. Kageyama looked at him curiously, noting how Hinata changed. He imitated what he did and curiously began to eat through the vast amount of food in front of them. 

“Do you actually eat all of this?” Kageyama said out loud, gesturing to the food. Hinata looked up, like he was seeing a ghost when Kageyama questioned him. 

“What? Why do you look like you’ve seen a ghost?” Kageyama frowned, picking through the food again. 

“I… never shared what I cooked with anyone before,” Hinata slowly said as he looked away. He sighed as he took another fish from the plate and continued, “...and I haven’t eaten with anyone else here, hence, the missing pair of utensils.” He heard Kageyama stopping, and his stare was boring a hole in him. 

He looked up, and he saw Kageyama opening his mouth, likely trying to say something out of sympathy. He looked away again as his heart burned, and he was about to say not to pity him but the words that Kageyama said made him stop dead in his tracks.   
  
“Nice co.. cock-” Kageyama choked and fumbled for a glass of water. Hinata was flushing, but he tried his best to give Kageyama a glass right away. 

“Nice cooking,” Kageyama muttered, his head low and eating once again, his ears giving him away as it beamed a bright red. Hinata smiled at him, and although the other boy couldn’t see him, he felt it echoing through the room, the blinding smile of Hinata Shoyou that melted hearts...

...the smile that kept him awake for months on end, the smile that was etched in his mind and heart for as long as he could remember. He looked up to witness it, and for so long he thought he already forgot about it, but Hinata’s smile had been like a drug, bringing him back to the world of the living. Suddenly, the world didn’t seem too bad. In the light of the moment, he tried to give a small smile back. 

“I’ll clean up,” Kageyama offered as he stood up quickly when Hinata did. Hinata shook his head stubbornly, slapping away Kageyama’s helping hand. 

“You're my visitor, so go watch some TV or something,” Hinata said as he shooed him away. 

Kageyama slouched and headed for the sofa, reaching for the remote. He flicked through the channels, trying to find a good movie or a feel-good show. He strained his neck and tried to peer into the kitchen when the splash of water in the sink reached him. 

He accidentally fell down with a crash, and Hinata quickly ran over to see what happened. He still had soap suds in his arms, and he saw Kageyama whistling while he was perked on the sofa- quite rigidly, actually. 

“What was that?” Hinata inquired, squinting his eyes at the other one. 

“What do you mean?” Kageyama dead-panned. Hinata turned around and shook his head, a smile playing on his lips. Kageyama voiced out a sigh of relief and looked at the mess he created.

Hinata’s pile of coffee table books were scattered on the ground and he bent to fix them back onto the table. His eyes recognized the yearbook that he treasured all too much, and he scanned through it while waiting for Hinata. 

“Hey, I just realized, where’s your things?” Hinata asked, wiping his hands on his shirt and sitting down on the far end of the sofa. 

Kageyama looked at him, realization dawning on him. Right, he left them all in his car. 

“Uh, in my car?” he answered in an unsure voice.

“Where’s your car then?” Hinata looked at him dubiously. 

“I hit a roadblock, so I . . . ran?” Kageyama offered to Hinata. Kageyama continued staring at him as Hinata stood up and began to pick up his jacket. 

“What are you waiting for? Let’s get it then?” Hinata replied as he gathered his keys. Kageyama followed suit, trailing behind Hinata towards the front door. 

Hinata unlocked his bike and said, “It’s down three blocks right? The big crack?” Kageyama nodded, and Hinata zoomed past him on his bike. 

“Hey, _dumbass,_ wait up!” Kageyama barked back, running to catch up. 

“You know I don’t!” Hinata shouted behind him, pedaling quickly. The rush of competing with one another came back, and they smiled when they passed each other, making them quicken their pace another notch. 

They got Kageyama’s box and his few things, the box sitting on Hinata’s bicycle seat as he held the handle of the bike, and they walked back together silently, side by side. 

“Hey, Kageyama,” Hinata called out. Kageyama acknowledged him with a small “Hmm?” 

“Can I know what’s inside?” Hinata asked, and he stopped to look at Kageyama. Kageyama silently thought about it, but nodded a moment after. When Hinata saw him nod, he opened the lid of the box and was greeted by a ball. 

“Huh?” Hinata muttered as he took it out. He scrutinized it and read what the writing on it said. 

‘Be the best.’ And it was signed by the Small Giant himself. Hinata ran his thumb across the writing, trying to remember what it felt like when volleyball was his life, when it was all that mattered in his little world. He sighed when he remembered that the world’s problems were bigger than him now, bigger than the two of them. 

Hinata looked at Kageyama gratefully, with sadness in his eyes. Kageyama was overwhelmed by how Hinata looked, his eyes carrying the weight of tears, sorrow, and pity of their situation; yet he also looked ethereal, the sunset’s light reflecting on him and the perfect orange lighting everything around them like it was back to being Hinata’s world again. 

“When did you get this?” he asked, passing the ball left and right in his hands after leaning his bike on a fence. Hinata thought that Kageyama would keep to himself, but after a few minutes of silently walking towards the door, as Hinata clutched the ball in his arms and opened the door with his keys, Kageyama answered. 

“Months before that night.” 

Hinata gulped and opened the door, entering his house. He didn’t know how to answer that, so he gave Kageyama a little apologetic smile as he held open the door for the taller man. 

* * *

Kageyama was tossing and turning as he tried to sleep on the sofa, the thought of Hinata so close to him messing up his whole mind as he kept thinking about him. 

“Argh,” Kageyama grunted, messing his hair with his hands frustratingly. He looked at the closed door, and imagined Hinata unable to sleep like he was- the thought brought a smile on his face. 

Suddenly, he felt tremors; first, he thought he was just dizzy from sitting up too fast, but when he lowered down on the floor, he felt that everything else was shaking. The books he carefully arranged earlier dropped back down again as the earthquake continued, getting more and more aggressive by the minute. 

After a few more aftershocks, the tremors ended. Kageyama breathed a sigh of relief, and before he could go to Hinata’s door, it opened swiftly, revealing a distressed Hinata. 

“Are you alright?” Hinata asked breathlessly, his eyes wide as saucers. 

Kageyama nodded, and although the adrenaline was slowly draining, he couldn’t help but look at Hinata’s figure, dressed in nothing but an oversized white shirt. 

“Okay, alright, I guess I’ll go back to sleep,” Hinata said, although the bags under his eyes told Kageyama that he hadn’t gotten an ounce of sleep that night, just like him. 

As the door closed slowly, Kageyama walked closer, wanting to knock and be let in, but lacking an excuse to. Before he could utter an ultimately bullshit excuse, the door opened once again revealing Hinata with the same thoughts in mind. 

“Uhm, do you mind if you-” Hinata started.

“Can I sleep next to-” Kageyama said at the same time as him. 

They both understood what the other wanted to ask, so Hinata leaned his back on the door to make way for Kageyama. He bit his lips when Kageyama’s arm brushed past him, and he struggled against the urge to reach out. 

Kageyama reclaimed his part of the bed, something he never thought he’d do again, but who the hell’s thinking about that anyway? 

He closed his eyes and brought the covers over his arms, counting the steps Hinata took to get from the door to the other side of the bed. He heard Hinata take in a deep breath and sit down. Kageyama peeked from under his arm to look at Hinata’s back, and he quickly looked away again when Hinata slipped under the covers next to him. 

Kageyama tried to sleep, he _fucking_ tried, alright, but it never came. Hinata had been tossing and turning on his side of the bed, so that indicated that he was not getting any sleep either.

“Can’t sleep either?” Kageyama whispered when Hinata stopped turning and just proceeded to stare at the ceiling

Hinata sighed and closed his eyes. Kageyama thought that was the end of the conversation, but then Hinata pulled off his blanket and pillow and stood up. He gestured his head for Kageyama to follow him, and he could vaguely guess what Hinata wanted to do. 

He cuddled the other pillows in his arms and dragged the blanket behind him before following Hinata to the balcony. Hinata had set up a futon and sat on his own side, tapping the other for Kageyama. 

Kageyama fixed the pillows and blanket onto the soft mattress. He lay down next to Hinata as they crawled under the covers, staring at the stars. It felt nearer to him, for some reason, like he could pluck them straight out of the night sky. With the same thought as him, Hinata stretched out his hand, reaching for one of the glittering stars above them. 

“Aren’t you scared, Hinata?” Kageyama asked, staring into nothingness. “Of what will happen?” he continued, barely over a whisper.

“I’m always scared,” Hinata answered in a heartbeat. Kageyama looked at him for clarification. 

“I just think that if I’m scared, everyone’s also scared shitless,” Hinata said with a shrug as he put his hand down on his stomach with a plop. 

“Well, I’m guessing you’re scared too, right?” Hinata asked without looking at him. 

Kageyama looked at the stars and said, “I guess in this life, we weren’t made to fulfill everything.” 

“Maybe,” Hinata sighed, “but that doesn’t mean you can’t fulfill anything, just not everything.” 

“Maybe it just wasn't in our cards,” Kageyama mumbled. “Hey, dumbass, do you remember that meeting we had with Daichi-san and Suga-san?” 

Hinata laughed, “Yeah, that was awkward as hell, it was a miracle Daichi pulled through.” 

“Suga didn’t mind though, he acted like nothing was wrong,” Kageyama snorted. 

“Yeah, he did, but the messages I received after that lunch- man, it was a tsunami.” Hinata laughed, relishing the memory. Everybody he knew had learned about their _supposed_ break-up right after that lunch. 

“He’s such a sneaky ass,” Kageyama commented, snickering. Tsukishima, of all people, was the first to message him about it and ask if he wanted to talk. 

A blanket of comfortable silence enveloped them, until Hinata asked one of the questions that had been buried within him for years. 

“Kageyama?” Hinata muttered. 

He answered with a grunt. 

“Did you… move on without me?” His voice was quiet, and the silence from Kageyama’s end deafened him. 

“Hinata, I never did,” Kageyama answered. “That night, I forgot the one thing I was there for,” he sighed. “I asked myself when I was halfway across town if it was too late to turn around.” Kageyama mustered a laugh, trying not to let the sob out. 

“I asked the same question again, a year later, if it was too late to turn around. And I still ask myself now,” he said, looking at Hinata. 

“I chased after you, you know?” Hinata said after taking in what Kageyama had said. He looked at the bright stars above them, just twinkling like there was nothing wrong. He envied them. “I chased after you that night, Kageyama, I did.” Hinata tried to laugh out the tears in his eyes. “And I chased you again, 6 months later.” 

Kageyama’s breath was caught in his throat, unable to answer. 

Maybe love had no distance, Kageyama thought. Maybe it never knew the boundaries that people have. It was just there, existing beneath their souls, slowly creeping in their heart, enveloping both souls that it captured until they synced as one. 

“Well, those are some things we should have said sooner,” Hinata remarked, and laughed whole-heartedly. There was no time for half doubts now, not in this world. 

Hinata propped his arm up and leaned his head on it, lying on his side, looking at Kageyama. “Is that why you still came?” he asked teasingly with a smile on his face. 

Kageyama looked at him annoyingly. They both had puffy eyes, both from the lack of sleep and their tears, but a taunting smirk was escaping his lips as he barked out, “Oh, if I didn’t come sooner, you might have been crying at your front door.” 

They both laughed before cuddling next to each other, Kageyama wrapping his arms tightly around Hinata’s waist as the orange-haired boy snuggled into the other’s warm chest. Their hearts were lighter than ever, their connection back to what it had been years ago. Their love for one another could surpass the end of the world, and it should.

If only they had more time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Talk to me on Twitter @nishinwafers :)


	8. Two Halves of One Heart

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're almost at the end now...

> +0.0 mi
> 
> ######  **Illinois / 06.08.2020**

He carried Hinata back to their bed at around 5 am, carefully cradling him like the world depended on it. 

He fixed the makeshift camp they made at the balcony and slipped into bed next to Hinata right after. Leaning in to look at Hinata’s sleeping face, he felt at ease, like he was home. It was like the feeling of watching the setting sun right next to him, beautiful and otherworldly. A gift, that’s what this was. This was a gift: not everyone had the chance to find someone they bonded with- not with so little time- and yet, he found his way back. He was grateful for the little time that they had, and he treasured every second. 

He brushed a strand of hair off Hinata’s face and looked at him. He chuckled at the light snores that escaped from Hinata and slowly kissed his lips. Hinata's lips slowly formed a ghost of a smile, like a good dream was bound to happen. Kageyama lay down next to him and cuddled him close, Hinata’s soft hair softly swaying on his chin as his breath slowly turned into sleepy wisps. They lay there together, and before they knew it, the world stilled- their own tiny world restored to what it was before. 

Kageyama awoke on Hinata’s bed, and for a moment he was lost as to how he got there. Eyes closed, Kageyama reached for the other side of the bed, searching for another source of warmth, but there was nothing. His eyes opened in alarm. A quick wisp of the smell coming from outside calmed him; everything was fine, he was in Hinata’s apartment and Hinata was just cooking. He walked dazedly towards the kitchen, his bunny slippers that were borrowed from Hinata and too small to fit his feet slapping on the floor tiles. 

Hinata was whistling as he cooked and Kageyama crossed his arms and leaned on the doorframe, quietly looking at him. He noticed the giddy steps Hinata made when he reached for something and how he sang off-key to a Michael Jackson song. He slowly made his way towards Hinata, careful not to make any noise and disrupt his dancing performance. 

He slipped his arms around Hinata’s hips while he was raising his arms and singing along to his favorite song, whipping his head back and forth and his spatula flicking stew everywhere. Hinata froze at first, shocked at the sudden back hug from Kageyama, but he smiled to himself and continued to sway on the beat to a more subdued pattern, allowing Kageyama to lean his chin on Hinata’s shoulders, subtly swaying along while whispering the lyrics.

They had listened to this song a million times, and Hinata was so obsessed with it ever since he first heard it, “ And if the sun's upset and the sky goes cold,” Hinata sang at the top of his lungs. 

“Then if the clouds get heavy and start to fall,” Kageyama tried to sing along and Hinata whisked around to smile at him, continuing the lyrics, “I really need somebody to call my own.” 

“I wanna be somebody to someone,” Kageyama sang, more off-key than Hinata was and they both laughed while continuing the song, hands together and dancing in all directions. Hinata was a bundle of joy and warmth, his light shining like the light of day and Kageyama drank it all in. 

“Someone to you,” they both sang again and again until the song ended. Pointing at one another and Hinata collapsing as he laughed on Kageyama’s arms, tired and fried eggs forgotten. 

> ######  **Illinois / 06.09.2020**

Hinata persisted that they had to establish house rules. He quickly grabbed a pen and a notebook stashed somewhere and began to write. 

“Bakageyama and Boke Hinata’s rules,” Kageyama curiously read out right next to him. “What’s that for?” he asked, eyebrows furrowed together. 

“So, I think, I want to live like nothing bad is happening, if we can help it.  _ Absolutely NO talks _ about the world and shit,” he explained, his hands gesturing wildly and almost poking Kageyama in the eyes. 

Kageyama pushed down Hinata’s hands and replied, “Well, how about outside? Or the TV? That’s all everyone’s talking about.” Hinata considered this, but then sighed. 

“Well, that’s out of our hands, but we should act like nothing’s gonna happen. I hate it that everyone just ran out of hope the moment they knew about it,” Hinata grumbled, crossing his arms across his chest. 

“If that’s the case, let’s bring back game and movie nights?” Kageyama offered, with a slight reveal of hope in his face. 

“Yes! We should, I’m going to find my old DVDs.” Hinata’s face lit up. Kageyama was busy writing down some notes on the page as Hinata stood up quickly, startling poor Kageyama.

“What’s that you’re writing, by the way?” Hinata called out from inside the room, which was now full of noise of various things crashing down, ensued by a loud ‘Ow!’

Kageyama flinched at that, and waited for Hinata to get back. Hinata held out two DVDs, The Notebook and Step Up. 

“These are the only two I could reach,” he shrugged and put it in front of them, sitting cross-legged next to Kageyama again. He reached for the notebook and read what Kageyama wrote while the other’s complaints rang loud and clear. 

“‘If it’s time, we should watch it end at the Appalachian,’” Hinata read out loud, sounding unsure at the end. “Where’s that?” he asked. 

“A track I found, while I was uh- alone,” Kageyama explained uneasily. “It’s- nevermind, you shouldn’t have read that-” Kageyama tried to reach for the notebook, but Hinata was faster. 

“Well, that’s okay, as long as you promise that we watch it together, okay?” Hinata beamed at him, pointing a finger close to Kageyama’s blushing face. 

“Of course,  _ dumbass, _ ” Kageyama grumbled, looking sideways with a small pout on his lips. Hinata laughed at the sight.  _ “Wouldn’t want to watch the world end with someone else,”  _ Kageyama mumbled.

Hinata chuckled to himself, Ah, how he missed these small things.

“Okay, so, Step Up or The Notebook?” Hinata held up the DVDs and waved them in front of Kageyama, to which the other replied with another sigh. 

> ######  **Illinois / 06.10.2020**

Hinata and Kageyama rounded up the ingredients they needed, because today, they decided it was their birthday. They were trying to conjure up a birthday cake for each other, so the kitchen was full of lines and borders, everything either on one side or shared by half. 

Flour was everywhere, Kageyama’s place was a mess, and the cake he should have done by now was a sad heap of burnt bread in the form of a lopsided circle. On top of the supposed cake was a bunch of sloppy icing and a downpour of orange sprinkles and edible glitters. Written on it were three letters, ‘hbd’, placed on the far right of the cake. 

On the other hand, Hinata was pulling out of the oven a cake that looked straight out of a Youtube tutorial. Although the cake was supposed to be Kageyama’s, he was annoyed at the fact that he couldn’t make a better cake for Hinata. Hinata was humming to himself, oblivious of the envious glares Kageyama was throwing his way. 

“How come I leave you for a quick while, and you become the world’s greatest pastry chef?” Kageyama sulked. Hinata laughed for a moment before continuing his crumb coat on the cake. 

“Well, oblivious to,  _ your highness _ ,” he began, no insult added to the words, “I was alone for pretty much over two years, so I tried to bake cakes.” Kageyama looked at him in wonder. 

“What for?” Kageyama asked, and immediately knew he shouldn’t have asked that. 

“For myself, … and for you,” Hinata sighed, finishing up the icing on his cake. One look at Kageyama’s cake and he laughed wholeheartedly, pinching his icing bag once again and writing ‘hbd’ in cursive in the middle of the cake, copying Kageyama’s greeting. 

“At least you get to eat it this time,” Hinata offered at the apologetic-looking Kageyama, waving at the aesthetically pleasing cake. 

Kageyama was busy blowing balloons on the floor, and Hinata was giddily cutting Japanese papers into strings to put on their walls. Music was blasting loudly, both of them singing along to the songs they both jammed to. 

Hinata was on top of a stool, trying to put the banner up. Kageyama was holding onto the stool, his hand raised up and holding the tape for Hinata to use. 

“Please get more tape,” Hinata said from above, busy trying to decorate. Kageyama nodded and stuck pieces of tape on each individual finger. “Don’t make them too long,” Hinata shouted, Kageyama whirled around to ask what he meant, but his words were caught in his throat at the sight of Hinata. 

He was on a stool, reaching hard for the corners. His shoulders pulled up his shirt, making his torso exposed, and Kageyama could not tear his eyes off him. In a few strides, he swooped Hinata and made him land on his arms, Hinata was shocked, his mouth agape. Kageyama wasted no time, asking, “I can kiss you right?” 

“ _ Dumbass,” _ Hinata said and leaned in, his hands on Kageyama’s nape, pulling him closer. The moment their lips met, their souls remembered how it felt to be whole again. This, this was what they missed in the two years they were apart. This was how the world felt- it was raw, it was passionate, and it was scary. 

‘Please, let this be a moment I remember forever,’ Kageyama thought, gripping Hinata’s hair. Their lips danced with one another, unraveling the words they were too scared to say. 

‘ _ I love you.’  _ That was every kiss they ever wanted to share, the only words echoing in their synced minds. They were too scared to say it out loud, and the tears in their eyes were the only hints of how scared they were of what might come next. 

Hinata’s hands roamed over Kageyama’s back, itching for more, wanting for more. Kageyama groaned at every moan that escaped Hinata’s lips, “God, I missed you,” he said in between their kisses. 

Hinata smiled and softly kissed Kageyama’s face, their breaths labored. “I missed you too.” 

> ######  **Illinois / 06.11.2020**

Hinata woke up with Kageyama’s arms around him, who was still fast asleep. He turned around, kissing Kageyama, covering his bare back with their blanket. 

“Wake up, sleepyhead,” Hinata murmured. He caressed Kageyama’s face, tracing his eyes down to his nose and lips. His fingers traveled down to his jaw, tracing the outline of his shoulders and his back. 

‘Hmm, did I leave too many marks?” Hinata thought, reaching over to turn Kageyama, to which the other answered with a sleepy groan. 

Sure enough, Kageyama’s back looked like it was clawed by some animal, and Hinata snickered. “Kageyama,  _ oh my God, _ ” Hinata doubled over in laughter. 

“What? What-” Kageyama sat up, alarm on his face as he looked in Hinata’s direction. 

“ _ Shit _ , Kageyama, I think I basically scratched you too much-” Hinata was still snickering, his naked figure rolling onto the floor, taking the blanket with him. 

“Why the  _ fuck _ are you laughing about my back?” Kageyama growled, his morning grumpiness showing. 

“It’s because I drew a happy  _ fucking _ face!” Hinata howled again, genuinely finding it funny. 

“What?!” Kageyama tore out his bathrobe thrown somewhere on the floor and tied it onto his hips, heading for the full-length mirror. When he turned his back, he saw how Hinata’s claw marks really did make a smiley face- he looked at Hinata in horror, and as soon as the other saw the look on his face, another round of laughter ensued. 

After the laughing session, both of them were too lazy to actually do something so they ended up cuddling one another. Hinata’s bare back was pressed againstKageyama’s torso, and the taller boy’s hands were caressing him as they talked about different things. 

Kageyama’s hands caught onto the silver chain on Hinata’s neck, “What’s this?” Kageyama curiously asked, his whisper in Hinata’s ear sending shivers down his back. 

Hinata picked the chain hanging on his collarbones, and held it up for Kageyama to see. It was just a silver chain, nothing special, but Kageyama knew there was something more to it and simply made a sound in acknowledgement. 

“I- I found... your- well, my ring,” Hinata began. Kageyama’s face distorted into a look of question, bewilderment, and God knows what else. 

Hinata sighed, removing Kageyama’s arms around him and standing up, going for his drawers. Kageyama instantly missed his warmth the moment they lost touch, waiting for Hinata to come back. 

Hinata sat back down on the side of the bed and Kageyama reached for him, clinging unto his waist, looking at what Hinata was holding. 

After a quick look, he sat back up and took it from Hinata’s fingers. “Where did you get this?” Kageyama asked, his voice low and . . . sad. 

“You left it, dropped, maybe,” Hinata sighed, taking it again from Kageyama. He took out his silver chain and inserted the ring, back where it was supposed to be. Kageyama fastened it back on him, marveling at the ring on Hinata’s neck. 

Kageyama looked at the ring, his fingers rolling it against the chain. 

_ I guess it found its way to where it's supposed to be, _ Kageyama thought. He looked at Hinata, and a silent understanding, a knowing of what could have happened that night, connected them. 

Then, suddenly, Kageyama laughed. “I can’t believe I’ve been punishing myself all these years because I didn’t get the chance to give you that  _ same _ ring, and now, all of the sudden, here you have it.” Kageyama plopped back down on the bed, his legs hanging on the edge of the bed, and his arms extended on both of his sides.

Hinata chuckled, leaning in to press a kiss on Kageyama’s lips. “Also, I was about to burn all of your things that night too,” he said, picking up the stray clothes discarded after last night’s . . . events. 

“You were about to  _ what?”  _ Kageyama asked, horrified. Hinata laughed as he quickly put an oversized shirt over him and walked out.

Kageyama quickly put on a shirt of his own, and some underpants (which reminded him that Hinata did NOT do that) and followed Hinata out of the room. 

“What do you want for dinner?” Hinata asked from the kitchen. For some reason, Kageyama found Hinata holed up in here when they’re not together. It was a newfound fact, but Kageyama was happy enough to bug him all the time. 

Kageyama thought about what to have for dinner, but ended up with nothing. “Pancakes?” 

Hinata and Kageyama began flipping, literally. They had a pancake flipping contest, which ended up with 12-3 in favor of Hinata. Kageyama was buzzing with concentration, and Hinata was out of pancake mix, but who cares? 

When Hinata started to flip one pancake, Kageyama wanted to try it, and failed miserably. The broken pancake was now stuck on the side of Hinata’s cupboard. The first 10 tries were… okay, but this time, Hinata was growing nervous at the beads of sweat rolling down Kageyama’s temples. 

“Hey, m-maybe we should stop,” he intervened. 

“No,” answered Kageyama, who was murderously glaring at the pancake. 

Before Hinata could stop him, the pancake went flying. The handle was still in Kageyama’s hands, while the pan itself was with the pancake, crashing into the window above the sink. A clattering sound rang from downstairs, ensued by the shriek of a cat. 

“ _ Holy shit.” _

-

Hinata howled loudly at what happened, and Kageyama quickly exited the room. He searched for something to seal the window with, and settled with duct taping the whole thing. After cleaning up the whole mess and setting the table with the pancakes that were now dangerously stacked on top of one another, Hinata finally stopped laughing abruptly. 

“All done, let’s eat~” Hinata said in a sing-song voice, hugging Kageyama from the back as the other sweeped the glass shards on the floor. 

“I’ll be there in a minute,” Kageyama said, and Hinata hummed a sound of approval and left his side. 

Suddenly, there were tremors felt. Kageyama crouched down and held on the counter top. The lights flickered, and they were in darkness. “Hinata-” Kageyama quickly called out, but was cut off by Hinata’s own call for him. 

“Kageyama! You okay?” 

“Yeah, do you have any candles we can use?” he asked back, and he heard Hinata’s stumbling footsteps that announced that he’s in the kitchen too.

“Stay there, Hinata,” Kageyama said cautiously. 

“Why?” Hinata asked back, but obeyed what he said. 

They both felt around the darkness, their arms extended in front of them, searching for a hand to hold on. When they both found each other, Kageyama held Hinata’s wrist and said, “Hold on to me, there’s glass shards here, I think I remember where they were.” 

Hinata obliged and held on to his shirt, while Kageyama held on to his other hand. Hinata reached for a drawer that they passed by and said, “Here’s the matches, and some candles.” 

“Alright, come on,” Kageyama said and lit the candle in front of them. With the guide of the candle they passed the room, carefully avoiding the glass shards. 

Before Hinata could step on one, Kageyama pulled him back, and they faced one another, hearts beating faster as the light of the flame danced between their faces. Kageyama snatched up the candle from Hinata’s grasp and led the way, his hand holding Hinata’s wrist as the other stumbled behind him, both blushing. 

Kageyama set down the candle on the table as they entered the living room, and the light flowed, making lightening up the mood a bit. 

“Uh, maybe, we should eat?” Hinata asked, sitting down. 

“Y-yeah,” Kageyama replied, but he felt like this moment had already happened in the past, in a different context, but mostly the same. 

“Got  déjà vu ?” Hinata said, feeling the same as Kageyama, and he smiled softly. Kageyama sat down, picking up a pancake and putting it on his plate. 

Hinata did the same. “You confessed, years ago. On a night like this one,” Hinata reminded him, cutting through his pancake. His head was down, focusing on what he was doing, but tears pooled in his eyes, remembering the moment. 

Kageyama was not responding, and silence enveloped the room, their utensils scraping the plate the only sound they heard, and they swore they could hear their hearts beat in sync. 

“We were eating pancakes, too, a take-out,” Kageyama started.

“A power surge happened, and you held my hand in shock,” Hinata laughed and looked at Kageyama, who was wearing a smile of his own. 

“You looked like you saw a ghost,” Hinata continued, fond of the memory he treasured deeply. 

“I- well, I never really touch you . . . much,  _ then, _ ” Kageyama replied, a playful smile on his lips. 

“ _ Oh _ , yes, I remember that, I hated that,” Hinata laughed, and he threw his head back laughing. 

“It was like you were wanting to, but you’ll get  _ burned _ ,” Hinata replied, snickering. 

“Oh, oh, and the blabbering mess you were that night, saying,” Hinata pushed down his hair and imitated Kageyama’s feverish face that night. 

“‘Hinata- It’s not what you think- I do not- I do- I like- no-’” Hinata imitated Kageyama’s stuttering and panicked expression. 

“I did  _ not _ look and sound like that!” Kageyama tried to maintain a straight face, but laughed at his partner’s antics after a few more of Hinata’s imitations of him. 

“Well, at least you managed to say I love you,” Hinata said suddenly and froze, knowing how taboo the phrase was. 

“Yeah, at least I did,” Kageyama nodded, and smiled. They ate their dinner in comforting silence, feet softly nudging each other, and a few soft caresses of their hands once in a while.

After they ate, Kageyama stood up and moved next to Hinata, offering a hand. “Mind if we dance?” Kageyama curtly bows, and attempts to smile in a comforting way. 

“Well, of course, since you asked,” Hinata accepted his hand and the other pulled him up into a swift swaying dance. 

Kageyama put Hinata’s arms on his neck, and he chuckled when Hinata tiptoed just to reach it. He slid his arms down his waist, and did the same to Hinata, who was now blushing furiously. 

Kageyama tried to hum Hinata’s favorite acoustic song with conviction, but after a few wrong tones and a break in his voice, their legs tangled into one another, and they both staggered in their step. 

They tumbled to the floor, a mess of limbs, both short and long, and a bump of heads, more than once.

“Yeah, maybe dancing and music isn’t for us,” Kageyama huffed, massaging his now-bruised leg. 

Hinata laughed as he stood up and held a hand for Kageyama. “Yeah, maybe not,” he replied back with a chuckle. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Message me your thoughts: @nishinwafers on Twitter! This chapter is edited by FrostyMochi. :)


End file.
